The Glass Menagerie

      By Joseph Cervelli

The best production of Tennessee William’s masterpiece “The Glass Menagerie” that I have seen is the off Broadway one  from 2010 starring Judith Ivey as Amanda Wingfield and an incredible Patch Darragh as her son Tom who was the most realistic stand in for the playwright. A few years back there was a very good though slightly overrated revival starring Cherry Jones. So, why bring back another so soon?

Well, the current one playing a limited engagement at the Belasco Theater is a stunningly original one unlike any you have probably seen before and among the most effective. While all other productions  have been faithful to the play in every way this new one under the direction of the wildly imaginative director Sam Gold (“Othello”) is unforgettable. Yes, you do need to suspend your beliefs about of all “Menageries” you have seen and  it is easy to do that when Joe Mantello (Tom) informs you right from the start that “the scene is memory and is therefore nonrealistic.” Right there, you know that Gold approach is to paraphrase Tom’s famous line from the play, “tricks up in his pocket and things up his sleeve.”

The first thing you notice that  may startle you is that except for a kitchen table with some chairs and a cart with candles, a typewriter, etc. all props used in the play there is no other scenery. The back of the theater is shown prominently. When the actors enter the house lights fully on. Amanda (a memorable Sally Field)  is pushing her daughter Laura (Madison Ferris) in a wheelchair. No longer does the character appear to have just a slight limp for Ferris herself has muscular dystrophy. So, when the overbearing Amanda played with more of a hard edged attitude than I have seen beforeinforms her she only has a slight defect you might find yourself unintentionally laughing. But, we must remember as Tom strongly informs us that this is a memory play. The time period of the play  now is indeterminate. Originally it was 1937. While Mantello looks older than Fields or even his classmate Jim, the gentleman caller, (Finn Wittrock)  that works because many years have gone by. 

There is no photo of their dad (as in prior productions)  who left the family years ago but again it becomes a blank in the mind of Tom. 

With his cigarette almost constantly in his hands throughout the beginning of the play Tom indeed seems to be like a writer from that time period. Trying to write but hampered by his harridan of a mother Tom tries to show as much restraint towards her as possible but it is  not always easy. Mantello encompasses his character with annoyance toward his mother while his affection for his sister (watch as he massages her legs while Amanda is busy trying to see magazine subscriptions) is so beautifully realized. 

As Jim the handsome Wittrock is fully animated even more so than other gentleman callers but it works fine again probably in Tom’s mind he was there to bring some needed cheer to a household filled with solemnity. When he crashes into one of Laura’s most prized crystal figures the unicorn it still creates a stab to your heart. 

Gold has put an extra emphasis on Laura’s disability as she is walking on all fours trying to get to her wheelchair. You might find yourself thinking how indeed does she get around the city going to museums or movies when she was supposed to be at a business school. But again, we are seeing the family through Tom’s eyes. How much is actually real and how much is part of what he has remembered is up for conjecture. Ferris also gives very different interpretation of Laura than any other I have seen. Most emphasize the shy quality and kowtow to Amanda, but Ferris is much more emotionally fierce looking at her mother with a kind of disdain. What an original touch on Gold’s part.

All other Amanda’s were fading belles trying to recreate their youthful days going to parties and having their own gentleman callers.  But Field gives a more powerfully raw performance. Even when she is trying to charm Jim at the dinner she has prepared, that genteel manner is forced for that is not what she is really like. You feel the anger of abandonment of her husband and a loss of control on her part as Tom starts to seethe with frustration. 

If you let yourself get into a new frame of mind with this incredibly unusual production you will probably even begin to hear dialogue that you might not have heard before and find this one of the most heartbreaking productions you have encountered of what is arguably Williams’ finest play. 

Tickets are available at the Belasco Theater 111 West 44th Street or by calling 212.239.6200. The limited engagement ends July 2.

PHOTOS: JULIETA CERVANTES