ANTAEUS IN GLENDALE PRESENTS THE GLASS MENAGERIE

 

It's been over eighty years since The Glass Menagerie first went up on Broadway.  It's a classic. Deep and wide.

Josh Odsess-Rubin and Emily Goss 

Photo Credit: Craig Schwartz Photography

 

Alex Barlas plays The Gentleman Caller in the current production of Tennessee Williams' The Glass Menagerie at Antaeus Theatre Company on Broadway in Glendale.  Why bring this guy into the review when it's his appearance in the second act that brings the show to a downbeat close? 

Well..  In a quandry .. as I am about this production.. mentioning the memorable set by Angela Balogh Calin that reflects the ambitons of Tom Wingfield (Josh Odsess-Rubin)  the narrator, whose memories are all brought to life in the production.. It is probably TW's voice of the past and ennui?  Jim  O'Connor just doesn't look Irish?  Tom lauds the O'Connor's bravado..which Barlas brings full steam ahead. and his high school popularity.. and confidence.. admirable if a little boffo.. before we meet Jim in the second act,  Director, Carolyn Ratteray, has Tom introduce Jim at the outset on  stage? Tom says he's the most realistic character in the play...

The production with Jim's heavy handed final scene with Laura,  the symbolism of the crystal critters that she tends  so carefully works. Reality meets fantasy.

 

Is Tom, in fact, a sad gay guy.. and is Amanda Wingfield (Gigi Bermingham).. really such a harridan as she flitters into middle age with the glowing  image of Tom and Laura's departed daddy on the wall..  (Daddy sent a postcard "Hello. Goodbye..").  The three of them  live in  a St. Louis apartment.. , St. Louis still a stronghold for segregation. and bigotry until the seventies.. Is this sadness the cloud that literally shapes the story with ..at last.. the electricity going going gone because the bill has not been paid?  

 

If this all sounds a bit free form and wonky as a review of this theatre piece performed a thousand times or more.. it's because this play is a classic and this production .. YES.. recommended..  comes with a caveat. Something's missing.

Contradictions are us. Four excellent actors.. The depth of angst and unhappiness so beautifully written.. Each character with deep desires and the foundation of the past they all share?  It is a challenge.

Does Amanda really need to become Blanche Dubois on steroids all the time?  Does Laura (Emily Goss) need to be over the top stumbletom clunky and falling down  freaked out.. all the time. slowly brought to rein by Jim.. but then.. slapped silly and back to her sad little collection  of delicate treasures? 

Beryl Brachman's period costumes are terrific. The tech that foreshadows the darkness to come works, but we are never quite sure if it's supposed to be a part of the show:  the flickering lights before they are extinguished by neglect?

We come to the theatre with expectations.  To digress.. it's like having read any song lyric and imagining the song..and then.. When the full production of the song lands, we are shocked that it did not sound the way we'd imagined it in our head?

 

The Glass Menagerie was a hit on Broadway in the forties.  Famous actors have played the parts.  The 1950 film was literally illuminated by Gertrude Lawrence as Amanda Wingfield, Jane Wyman as Laura Wingfield, Kirk Douglas as Jim O'Connor, and Arthur Kennedy as Tom Wingfield.

Wow.. Of course, the film, now seventy five years old! .. had the luxury of being more  realistic than the intended dream/memory quality of any stage production..  Comparison is not proper.. but the point is that this deep and moving piece of American Theatre.. to me.. must be nuanced in such a way that the infirmities: the flaws that each of the characters  must live with: survives with? They are complex and deeply three dimensionally flawed.

We can identify with each one to one degree or another. Why, then.. do these characters, shouting almost from the get go not feel three dimensional?  The actors are all competent. They all behave in a style that  reflects what the company agreed upon.  The costumes ..especially Amanda's flowing organdy ball gown and her charming hustle of The Gentleman  Caller .. who to a deep South Southern Belle from Blue Mountain, Mississippi might bring up some ..  questions for her?

Why do all of the words sound like one of the most popular of Tennessee Williams' plays and ..mostly work. but the energies and the strong physical  and emotional .. broad indicators.. struggle to convince?

Is this a wonderful example of Tennessee Williams' ouvre?  Yes.. it is.

Should the house be packed nightly with the memory of the last time you saw or read this piece  of Literature?  Of course. It's American History. American Memory. It's important because it brings to light the deep feelings of the times as the playwright remembered them and created them. How can we not wonder if Tom.. abandoned by his father at the age of sixteen .. if he may have questions regarding his sexual identity?  How can we not feel deeply for Amanda's daily struggle to maintain her dignity and high hopes for both Tom and Laura?  And.. because of a crippling disease, each of us has suffered or known of...  some infirmity that has reshaped our selves.. or that of someone we love?  Tone and presentation in this play call for a subtle undercurrent that drives each of them to where they live  in the middle of challenges to their essential well being. "Subtle" is the key here.  The over the  top approach to each of these people is more superficial than evocative. We know the characters.  We may have studied the play in school?  We understand the basics of protagonist and antagonist. they are clear in The Glass Menagerie. There are no final answers except that when one is  deeply disappointed, we go back to a safe harbor and leave the next day to itself.

That Barlas does not look  Irish and .. with the others over the top in presentation,  falls to the intention of Ms Ratteray and the agreement of the cast. They all perform  as actors with their indiviudal motivations. Each actor is more than competent. It's the agreement to style and presentation that I may quibble with and at the same time encourage everyone who knows and appreciates Tennessee Williams and our excellent local: Antaeus Theatre Company.. to go. There are talk backs and opportunities that educate and inform us.

Is this a mixed review?

Why! Yes it is.. I hope it is fair and that readers will find a way to discuss the show  in a deeper way.  

Michael Sheehan

onstagelosangeles

 

CAST:

JIM O’CONNOR: Alex Barlas

AMANDA WINGFIELD: Gigi Bermingham*

LAURA WINGFIELD: Emily Goss

TOM WINGFIELD: Josh Odsess-Rubin*

PRODUCTION TEAM:

Director: Carolyn Ratteray

Scenic Designer: Angela Balogh Calin

Costume Designer: Beryl Brachman

Lighting Designer: Karyn Lawrence

Sound Designer: Jeff Gardner

Properties Designer: John McElveney

Composer: John Ballinger

Assistant Lighting Designer: Saoirse Sterbinsky

Production Dramaturg/Assistant Director: Jen O'Brien

Production Stage Manager: Jasmine Leung

Assistant Stage Manager: Jessica Osorio

Press Relations : Courtney Agustin

 

The Glass Menagerie 

by Tennessee Williams

Directed by Carolyn Ratteray

 
Antaeus Theatre Company

Kiki & David Gindler Performing Arts Center

110 East Broadway

Glendale, CA 91205

Previews: April 27 - May 2

Performances: May 3 - June 2
Tuesday at 8pm: April 29 (Preview)

Wednesday at 8pm: April 30 (Preview)

Thursdays at 8pm: May 1 (Preview), May 22

Fridays at 8pm: May 2 (Preview), May 23, May 30

Saturdays at 2pm: May 17, May 24

Saturdays at 8pm: May 3 (Opening), May 10, May 17, May 24, May 31
Sundays at 2pm: April 27 (Preview), May 4*, May 11, May 25, June 1

Sunday at 6:30pm: June 1
Mondays at 8pm: May 12**, May 19, June 2 (Closing)

*After Words: A casual post-show discussion with Artistic Director Nike Doukas, exploring how the show resonated, raising new questions, and continuing the conversation.

**Meet the Artists: A post-show conversation with the actors, where they share insights, behind-the-scenes stories, and answer your questions.