The Glass Menagerie

[edjames]

A revival of Tennessee Willaims classic play performed by Cherry jones and Zachery Quinto just opened in previews at the Booth Theater.

 

I caught an early preview performance and this production should garner some impressive reviews. The cast is superb and the direction, set and costumes are all excellent.

 

The play, originally written for the screen back in the 40's for Ethel Barrymore and Judy Garland is a four character piece.

Over the years it has been revived, not only on stage, but on TV and film.

 

The play is introduced to the audience by Tom, the narrator and protagonist, as a memory play based on his recollection of his mother Amanda and his sister Laura.

 

Amanda's husband abandoned the family long ago. Amanda yearns for comforts and admiration she remembers from her days as a fêted Southern belle. She yearns especially for these things for her daughter Laura, a young woman with a limp and insecurity about the outside world. Tom works in a warehouse doing his best to support them. He rebels under the boredom of his life and spends much of his spare time going to the movies at all hours of the night. Amanda is obsessed with finding a suitor for Laura, who spends most of her time with her collection of little glass animals. Eventually Tom brings home an acquaintance from work named Jim, who Amanda hopes will be the long-awaited suitor for Laura. Laura realizes that Jim is the boy she loved in high school and has thought of ever since. After a long evening, Jim and Laura are left alone by candlelight in the living room, waiting for electricity to be restored. During their long scene together, Jim diagnoses Laura's inferiority complex and kisses her. Jim and Laura then share a quiet dance, and he accidentally brushes against the glass menagerie, knocking the glass unicorn to the floor and breaking off its horn. After Jim reveals that he is already engaged to be married, Laura asks him to take the broken unicorn as a gift and he leaves. When Amanda learns that Jim was engaged she assumes Tom knew and lashes out at him.

 

As Tom speaks at the end of the play, it becomes clear that Tom left home soon afterward and has never returned. In Tom's final speech, he bids farewell to his mother and sister, telling Laura to blow out the candles in her room, which she does as the play ends.

 

Cherry Jones is excellent as the mother Amanda and Zachery Quinto proves he has some fine acting chops as Tom.

 

First rate and highly recommended.

 

ED

[+ Chris Eisenhower]

Just saw it with friends and it was excellent. Minus of course, the three times cellphones went off the theatre.

[foxy]

I saw Glass Menagerie on Wednesday night. It was a wonderful moving performance with well deserved standing ovations. But there was a nice plus for me. Zachary Quinto was auctioning off the seaman's hat he wore during the play for Broadway Cares. I think the winning bid was $300. As we were leaving the theater I got out my donation and there was Cherry Jones holding the basket in front of me. I was stunned to be standing face to face with her minutes after the play ended. I just told her she was "brilliant as always" she smiled and said "thank you". There's no more to it than that but it was a brief, thrilling moment to be inches away from one of the greatest living stage actresses.

[skynyc]

I saw this for a second time on Sunday with an out of town friend who had bought premium seats.

 

I saw the first preview buying a tdf seat at the back right of the balcony, which did not allow a view of the fire escape on which several scenes are played, so I was very happy to see it again.

 

Even so, this is an amazing production of this play, and the scene between Laura and Jim is the best I've witnessed. (This is my fifth production of the play.) The director has opened the show with a clever bit of business to fully drive home the announcement that this is a "memory play". It's all filtered through Tom's recollections as a playwright...and there's much written about this being Williams' most auto-biographical play.

 

The cast is uniformly wonderful, with Cherry Jones giving another stellar performance. Zachary Quinto shows wonderful stage presence, and Celia Keenan-Bolger maintains Laura's fragility without making her seem retarded, (which I have seen presented a couple of times.)

 

The set sits on a large pool of water, which occasionally the characters will stare into as if trying to look out of the memory.

 

Tickets are available at the half-price booths on day-of, and while the production was intended to close in January and has been extended until Feb 23rd, I think this will be well remembered at Tony time.

 

A fun bonus...yes, Cherry Jones was at the head of the aisle collecting for Broadway Cares after the show, but my real sighting was earlier.... As show-time neared, I noticed that the four VERY premium seats next to me were open...surprising for a sold out show. Still empty at 2 minutes past, I commented to my friend that I bet we were going to have notables next to us. At four after, two large men swept down the aisle and started telling folks to put their phones away...but just in our aisle. The lights dimmed at five after, and a tall silver haired gentleman swept into the aisle followed by three others...

At a break in the first act, I looked over and it was James Brolin...and yes, his wife was beside him.

They snuck out immediately at the intermission, and back in for Act II...and then were gone before the lights came up for the curtain call.... She looked good...and he is such a silver fox.

[foxy]

One more reason that live theater is always more exciting than any recorded experience. I once sat next to Steven Sondheim and have over the years seen a number of famous people in the audience. Adds an extra little thrill.

[ted]

Just saw this today- by far the best play on Broadway currently. And Cherry was at the end of the aisle collecting and being very gracious. It took a long time to get out, but still excellent that she was there. Question, why isn't Betrayal collecting for BCEFA? First time I've been to a show at this time of the year that's not collected; not a peep out of them. BTW, Betrayal may be the hot ticket, but your money is better spent here.