★★★★
Working in association with the Citizens Theatre and the Royal Lyceum Theatre Edinburgh, Dundee Rep’s latest offering is an adaptation of Tennessee Williams’ The Glass Menagerie. Set in St Louis, Missouri in the late 1930s, the play follows Amanda Wingfield (Sara Stewart) and her two children Tom (Christopher Jordan-Marshall) and Laura (Amy Conachan) as they are torn between their duties and their dreams. Tom is forced to provide for his mother and sister by working a job he despises. His only way out is to find a husband for his sister, as per his mother’s wishes, so he invites the charming Jim O’Connor (Declan Spaine) over for supper. The pressure pushes their tensions to the max, as the evening takes a turn that no one expected.
At first, the plot is slow, but the strong characterisation soon pulls the audience in. It is the second act, when Mr O’Connor comes to visit, that the production really gains traction. A series of rapid turns keeps us on the edge of our seat as we watch Laura and O’Connor’s intimate moments in the parlour. Between Tom’s cautionary warnings that others find Laura peculiar, and Laura’s nerves rendering her too ill to join them for supper, it appears that the meeting won’t be successful, yet in the candlelit parlour, their conversation flows easily and truths are revealed. It’s a rollercoaster of emotions in the best possible way.
The three family members are all extremely different. Tom, who yearns for freedom and adventure, is irritated in his dull job in a shoe factory, while shy and sensitive Laura is quite happy in her own bubble at home. Amanda is almost exactly a stereotypical 1950s housewife; melodramatic and overbearing, wishing for her children to be successful. The cast are skilled in bringing their characters alive. Conachan in particular lights up the stage, bringing a child-like whimsy to the role of Laura that is delightful to watch. Spaine also must be commended for making Jim a likeable character, even when his story is revealed.
Emily James’ set design is simply exquisite. Before the performance starts, all we can see is a black curtain. It is quite a surprise when Tom first enters the stage, jolting the audience into silence. As his monologue begins, a blue light shines on the curtain, revealing a dilapidated apartment where Laura and Amanda sit at the kitchen table waiting to say grace. Laura’s glass menagerie sits downstage left, while a rickety fire escape is positioned at the right hand side. A portrait of their father is illuminated near the middle of the stage, serving as a reminder that while their father left sixteen years ago, his influence is still very much present.
The show’s main pitfall is the outdated language used. While the adaptation sticks to the original text, it does unfortunately include slurs, which just feel unnatural and jarring. The actors and set effectively transport us to Southern America in the 1930s; the slurs are not needed to show us this. They are used sparingly, but could easily be swapped for less polarising and offensive words which would work better with modern audiences.
Despite being a play that is very representative of the time when it was written, it is thoroughly enjoyable. Amanda’s dramatic preparations and Tom’s dry humour are greatly appreciated by the audience, and repeated viewings would help to fully appreciate the symbolism. The emotional second half is perfectly rounded off with a bittersweet ending: while the family get the change they so desperately need, there’s heartbreak for all, particularly Laura, who gets hurt amongst Amanda and Tom’s bickering and deals. It is easy to see why this is the play that kickstarted Williams’ success, and I’d highly recommend you watch it during the tour.
The Glass Menagerie will be performed at Dundee Rep until 18 October, before touring to Glasgow’s Citizens Theatre and Edinburgh’s Royal Lyceum Theatre.
Words by Ellen Leslie
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