The Glass Menagerie: A fragile affair

Fun Facts: This is an autobiographical play by Tennessee Williams, the character Tom Wingfield is based on his experience working in a factory while yearning to write, as well as the difficult relationship he had with his mother.

Target Audience: You will need some theatre chops to sit through this one. It is interesting, but by no means riveting.

Best Bit: The rain! I love seeing water being used on stage, it brings an element of realism and wonder. Sadly, the performances felt overly dramatic at times and this downpour then had a soap opera feel, nonetheless it was incredible to see.

Morning After Effect: Unsure what questions to begin exploring! Why the contemporary clothes but the old gramophone playing modern music? Why the lack of accents? Why the lack of chemistry? Why the stairs? Why the struggle?

Verdict: It felt like we were watching an experimental rehearsal with the ability to grow into something beautiful, unfortunately the limited run won’t allow for that.

Fun Home's Tony award winning director Sam Gold returns to Broadway with Tennessee Williams' classic, The Glass Menagerie. As I entered the Belasco Theatre a certain buzz filled the air, was it an excitement to see the Sally Field on stage? Or perhaps, Joe Mantello who recently directed An Act of God, yet in this production he is one of the players. Maybe the hype is around Finn Wittrock, the dreamy actor who recently starred in the acclaimed film La La Land. And then of course, there is the young actress making her Broadway debut, Madison Ferris, who has muscular dystrophy and plays the role of Laura. These are certainly draw cards that would make a crowd eager for the house lights to drop and the action to begin. However, Gold sets a different tone as the lights remain on, and the story unfolds with little action.

First, Tom Wingfield (Joe Mantello) appears on stage and delivers the famous monologue introducing the memory play. This in itself is fair warning to expect the unexpected. Amanda Wingfield (Sally Field) then enters near the front seats of the orchestra and struggles to pull a heavy wheelchair up the stairs and onto the stage; she appears weathered and distant. The gentleman caller, Jim O'Connor (played by Finn Wittrock), is briefly introduced as an important part of this memory who will be seen later; he is overly energetic and cheesy. And then we meet Laura Wingfield played by Madison Ferris. As Ferris struggles up the stairs, morphing and manipulating her body to do so, the room falls silent – except for the few people around me who whisper "she is really disabled". Gold has set a provocative tone with the house lights still bright and an incredibly bare stage. It is intimate, and somewhat uncomfortable. The chatter in the audience dissipates and a few awkward laughs can be heard, one can only assume they are not privy to Ferris' condition.

Perhaps Gold feels the modern audience needs to be shocked into empathy for these characters? That we are far removed from real emotion and it needs to be thrust upon us. That we are heartless and lack humanity. Tennessee Williams originally wrote the role of Laura to be emotionally weak with a limp. The limp is notorious and represents an extension of the character’s emotional flaws, yet Ferris brings a new question to the table. Suddenly, the play becomes centered around this family surviving and dealing with disability as opposed to highlighting the relationship between mother and child, and the endless hope they clutch to.

I am ambivalent about Ferris being cast in this role, wondering if Gold has lost the greater message of the play, or perhaps he is genius and introduces a new conversation about our emotional weakness - a conversation that fixates on the 'weaker' character, and highlights her strength and tenacity. The greater emphasis on Laura’s perspective shifts the conversation and calls for humanity and understanding. As she gently interacts with her fragile glass menagerie, light is shone on her vigor. Gradually as the lights fade she seems to become brighter, and as the lights go out in the story, hers is turned on.

Ferris' performance is amateurish yet undoubtedly inspirational, and at times I felt unnerved and perhaps protective, hoping that audiences are mature enough to see past the disability. But Gold may have seen the need to expose her vulnerability as a tool to expose ours. I can only assume that this a positive nod to the disabled community who should feel abled in all spheres of life, including the stage. I did feel that Gold had her moving in and out of the wheelchair throughout the play which reduced the impact on the scene with Jim when she finally sits near him in the candlelight. If this was the first-time Laura was seen to feel normal and unchained by her disability, the effect may have been more powerful. As Laura references the broken glass unicorn and how it is now like the other horses on the shelf, I felt awful and wondered why we would ever want everyone to be the same. After all, it is through our differences, our flaws and our strengths that we make our menagerie of life, and let the light in.

Audiences will flock to see Field and Mantello but unfortunately none of the performances are very strong and Gold’s focus appears to be on a deeper, subtext-experimental mission. Tennessee Williams fans will relish in this revival just four years after the last rendition, however, with this contemporary spin it feels a bit like watching a work in progress. Nevertheless, there is nothing like leaving a show with a gazillion questions whizzing through your mind, and for that we can thank the world of theatre - even when it is bizarre, it can be beautiful in its own right!

Reviewed by Nicola Quinn

March 16th 2017
Belasco Theatre, New York City
Find me on Twitter: @newyorktheatre

View our show pages for more information about The Glass Menagerie, Belasco Theater.