Review: Beth Marshall Presents' THE GLASS MENAGERIE is Restless Blend of Anger and Ambition

"Why, Tom- are you always so restless?" These words from a worried mother to her only son in Tennessee Williams' THE GLASS MENAGERIE could very much be used to describe Beth Marshall Presents' ambitious telling of this seminal American memory play. The production, which runs at the Garden Theatre through November 6th, has palpably amplified the nervous energy in this normally introspective character drama. As directed by Marshall, THE GLASS MENAGERIE seems to be playing with far more urgent stakes than are normally associated with the hindsight of the play, which creates more interpersonal conflict and tension, but robs the characters of their inherent pathos.

With fragments of sets and imagined props, the distance of the memory play is in stark contrast to the restless, often angry, subtext from the characters. The show's design, with flickering floods of memories projected on various walls, feels at odds with the direction's immediate emotions.

In the play, Amanda Wingfield (Cami Miller), a Southern belle long past her prime, is left to raise her two children, Laura (Anneliese Moon) and Tom (Anthony Pyatt Jr.), in the difficult financial times of 1930s St. Louis. After her husband abandoned the family years ago, Amanda's desire to have her children, and herself, taken care of has pushed her to push them to the point where they view her as "hateful." Though it is said that Laura "lives in a world of her own," in this production, either because of selfishness, detachment, or desperation, each Wingfield seems to inhabit his or her own world, often violently colliding with the others in their cramped apartment.

The show's narrator (and Williams' avatar) Tom, is a warehouse worker who aspires to be a poet. He dreams of escaping his sedentary life, just like his father did, while his older sister continues to retreat into the world of her glass ornaments, until she is finally presented with a fleeting opportunity to escape.

When Amanda goads Tom into inviting a co-worker (played by Zach Lane) home for dinner, in an effort to introduce him to the emotionally fragile Laura, it proves to be a life-changing event for the entire family.

Miller portrays a matriarch on the verge of breaking, both emotionally and mentally. Her Southern veneer is a shield put up to protect her from the disappointment of what her life has become; thanks to Miller, you can't help but feel that the next let-down could be the one to drive her over The Edge. Miller's nuanced performance is compelling, but also infuriating as it highlights the worst in this conflicted character.

As played by Pyatt, Tom has a fiery passion just under the surface that sets him at odds with his mother. That passion helps explain his desire to leave St. Louis, but in the confines of a memory play, seems self-indulgent. Like many of the performances in the production, Pyatt's is fairly one-note, riding a single emotion from start to finish. While with the other characters that can be explained as a trick of Tom's recollection, to see no difference between the Tom of then and the Tom of "now" feels like a missed opportunity for reflection.

Moon's performance is full of the ticks and idiosyncrasies familiar to many modern diagnoses on the spectrum, but they don't seem to match with the character described on the page. While certainly every individual is made up of a multitude of sides and emotions, the transitions between those sides don't feel natural from Moon, who otherwise is developing into one of Orlando's finest young actresses.

She regularly displays a strong, confident Laura, who is unafraid of her imposing mother, quite unlike the character who drops out of school because of nerves and embarrassment; little, if anything, is done to rectify those two sides. However, in Laura's quieter, more isolated, moments, Moon delivers a beautiful performance more in line with the character described.

As Jim, the gentleman caller, Lane presents a sympathetic ear to Laura, but it lacked the sincerity that he argues for. Jim comes off feeling like a character incapable of the genuine depth needed to connect with someone as solitary and removed as Laura.

The unconventional, restless approach to the show's characters, and the talented cast behind them, creates a more thrilling and stark experience than most productions of THE GLASS MENAGERIE. But, the emotional weight that normally lingers is missing.

The show's restlessness could also be seen in its projections, designed by Marshall and Joshua Seyna. The pair used two types of projections, images that flashed across various swatches of set, and snippets of dialogue just under the characters' feet.

While at times beautiful (the flowers) and striking (the portrait of Amanda's long-gone husband), the images were often too precious by half. Whether it was because they were used too frequently, rendering it little more than a gimmick, or because some of the images were anachronistic, they seemed to be at odds with the otherwise meticulously designed aspects of the show, including the set by Jamie DeHay and sound by Kenny Howard.

However, when the projections (imagery and/or dialogue) hit their mark, it makes for a stunning and moving tableau the likes of which you don't often see in Orlando theatre. These moments are examples as to why Beth Marshall Presents is one of the most important and inventive theatre companies in town. Even if you do not appreciate every aspect Marshall's shows, her willingness to experiment with content and push the boundaries of design is a vital part of the Central Florida theatre community.

To purchase tickets to this unique spin on an American classic, visit the Garden Theatre's website or call 407-877-GRDN(4736).

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Banner Credit: Cami Miller, Anneliese Moon, Anthony Pyatt Jr., Zach Lane. Photo Credit: Patty Wolfe Media Group | Beth Marshall Presents | Garden Theatre

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