More than two years later, The Glass Menagerie finally takes to The Royal Exchange stage. With rehearsals due to start in March 2020, this adaptation of Tennessee William’s play was put on hold due to the dreaded Covid. But now, two years later the full team return with a play that is now only more poignant.
Tennessee Williams is known as one of the greatest American playwrights, his works include; A Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, Suddenly Last Summer and another popular title, and previously adapted by The Royal Exchange in 2016, A Streetcar Named Desire.
The Glass Menagerie is a memory play, with strong autobiographical elements from William’s past, as stated during the production “it exists in a world of reality and you’re a part of it”. This adaptation really focuses on the parts of the play that we can all relate to, family, love, struggles and much like a memory there are many elements of the production that can be perceived differently by all that embrace it.
The Wingfield family are going through a tough time, financial and emotional burdens take hold as we see their struggles through daily life. The play, written in 1944, is set in 1937, although the time period is rather blurred in this adaptation, we see the old-fashioned ideologies of the time; a woman must marry young, a man must provide for his family, ‘gentlemen callers’ will ‘court’ your daughter, partnered with modern fashions and props.
Mother hen of the family, Amanda Wingfield (played by Geraldine Somerville), is a single parent looking after her two children following the departure of her husband, she lives her life reminiscing about the past and how desired she was by the men in her town. Tom Wingfield (played by Joshua James) is the man of the household but the youngest of the children, working in a dead-end job that he hates, he tries his best to keep the family afloat. Eldest sister Laura Wingfield (played by Rhiannon Clements) is a bit of recluse, a shy girl who hides away from the world, she surrounds herself in a world of glass animals ignoring her mother’s desperate plea to pushher into the world at college, or to find a nice man for her to marry.
The fourth character Jim O’Connor (played by Eloka Ivo) is a colleague and friend of Tom, and a previous acquaintance of Laura. He enters the family’s life as a glimmer of hope for Amanda and Laura, but this doesn’t quite go to plan.
Laura’s glass animals surround the stage, possibly a reminder of the fragile world we live in, and for Laura, a barrier to the outside world. A huge word displayed in the centre of the stage, Paradise. Something we’re all stiving for, right? In a continuous spin throughout the play, circling above the heads of the actors, the sign acts as a looming figure of hope throughout the play, the director Arti Banerjee calls it “That idea, that strange, misplaced hope”.
The play is brilliantly written, the real family dynamics so perfectly balanced, and the humour is elegantly and effortlessly embedded throughout. Tom is highly sarcastic, and has many angry outbursts that yielded a laugh from the whole audience. Joshua James’ portrayal of both this character, and the narrator role he slips into throughout, is brilliant. We clearly see the characters journey throughout as he tires of his mother’s nagging and the heavy weight lay upon his shoulders.
Geraldine Somerville is fantastic as Amanda, a character that lives in her own world, fluctuating between reality and illusion, she shuts off the world around her to focus on her past where she can relive her youthful days. Somerville ads likeability to a character that could easily be misunderstood. But her strong mothering nature combined with her comedic, larger than life actions create a well-rounded character that is not only loveable but also extremely tragic.
Rhiannon Clements as Laura and Eloka Ivo as Jim O’Connor bring the audience moments of wholesome emotion and passion. Clements and Ivo create an effortless bond that grips the audience immediately. Clements’ portrayal of the shy, kind natured Laura was natural and heart-warming, brining elements of the character that everyone can connect with.
One thing of note was that the whole cast had their southern American accent on point!
It was fate that this production was delayed until this exact moment, the themes within are even more poignant than they ever could have been 2 years ago. As we face a cost-of-livingcrisis, we watch as war tears nations apart, and we recover from being separated from the ones we love. This play not only explores these themes, but it tackles them in a fresh, modern and beautiful way.
Audiences can really connect with the relationships these actors build so well and can understand the difficulties they’re facing. A play such as this could have easily been done so wrong, but everything has been done so right.
The Glass Menagerie is on at The Royal Exchange in Manchester until 8th October 2022.
Alison Baines is a marketing and PR specialist by day. Following many years as a theatre PR, Alison left the arts industry but became a north west reviewer to keep her love of theatre burning bright. She has a degree in Drama & Media, and performs in Amateur dramatics in her spare time.
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