Review: THE GLASS MENAGERIE at Arizona Theatre Company

In the right hands, the narrative of a dysfunctional family triangle navigating Depression-era hard times and told in elegantly crafted words should be a prescription for a triumph of theatrical staging. That's what one hopes for when Tennessee Williams's classic about Tom, Amanda, and Laura Wingfield is on the line.

Here is a story about a son's quest to fly free from the constraints of a domineering and doting mother, his fraternal, if not obligatory, protectiveness for a damaged sister, and a dead-end warehouse job to see the world on his own terms.

Here is a story about a faded Southern belle's tenacious struggle to retain dignity in troubled times, to preserve a fast-extinguishing family ideal, and to ensure, if not impose, happiness on her children. She is immersed in the glories of her past at a time of her life when they too have been extinguished ~ a reality that is mournfully expressed in a legend that Williams had originally scripted for the back screen of the stage: "Où sont les neiges d'antan? ("Where are last year's snows?) but is obscured in the current production.

Here is a story about a fragile young woman, left lame and shy from a childhood illness, who has immersed herself in a world of illusions. Perhaps fated for a life of loneliness, mother and son arrange for a gentleman caller who might sweep her off her inertia.

Williams allowed and encouraged artistic freedom in future adaptations of THE GLASS MENAGERIE and directorial flexibility in revealing and accentuating the deeper themes of his memory play.

In its execution, however, a less than compelling and strategically misdirected production of Tennessee Williams's THE GLASS MENAGERIE is the current fare at Arizona Theatre Company.

An unfortunate predicament, because it is a sadly missed opportunity to mine the interior depth of this classic and to reflect its thematic relevance to modern times. Director Chanel Bragg has opted for a version that falls short of fulfilling the playwright's exhortations, emphasizing alterations of the script and stage directions that seem more cosmetic in nature and leave the rich ore of the playwright's script unearthed. The result shows in the absence of complexity and nuance in the cast's performances.

The issue lies not with the skills of the actors, each of whom bring sterling resumes to the production, but rather with the directorial choices that have been made in the interpretation of their characters.

Laura Wingfield is a fragile and shy figure whose portrayal nevertheless requires a far more robust and expressive display of emotion. Michelle Chin, a gifted young actress (Reasons to Be Pretty, Punkplay, Cinderella) captures Laura's sad countenance but is cast as far more pathetic and whimpering than is necessary and that the dynamic with her counterparts requires.

The consequence of her portrayal is that, while Paul Deo Jr. brings much needed gusto to his role as Jim O'Connor, the gentleman caller, his energy evaporates into the ether. He has little to play against when Laura's character is reduced to a shadow of a meek and whimpering simpleton. The tragedy of their encounter gets muddled in the imbalance.

Diversity in the casting of THE GLASS MENAGERIE has enjoyed great success in other venues. When, for example, the cast has been all-African-American or a mix of actors of color, the play's emphasis on what it means to be an outsider in American society is underscored ~ articulating the effects of living among alleyways and buildings that "are always burning with the implacable fires of human desperation."

In casting Lillie Richardson as Amanda, Bragg has made a bold but problematic choice.

Richardson is unquestionably a fine actress but her performance as Amanda lacks credibility.

Her portrayal is one-dimensional, relying on exaggerated gestures and speech to accentuate Amanda's domineering aspects but denying the character of the nuances that would enrich one's appreciation of the depth of her needs.

As a once fashionable lady of the social circuit whose fate has been capsized by a failed marriage, financial limitations, and unfulfilled dreams, Amanda now resorts to exercise whatever powers she possesses over her children. In her reminiscences, she reveals not only her past glories but also her racism.

Racism is a key subtext of THE GLASS MENAGERIE and an exploration that a multi-cultural casting of the play would accentuate with substantial impact among today's audiences. The problem is that Amanda's values are at odds with the casting of the character. Reconciling Richardson's portrayal of a woman who belonged to an historically racist organization, the Daughters of the American Revolution, and who offers glib references to enslavement is a hard bridge to cross. The choice ~ as well as the elimination of pertinent and clearly offensive lines from the script ~ compromises the play's integrity and obscures the playwright's intention to address racism and Amanda's embodiment of it.

If there is one shining light in this otherwise shallow affair, it is Aaron Cammack's authentic portrayal of Tom Wingfield. As both a character in the play (Williams's alter ego) and its candid narrator, he radiates the intensity and urgency of Tom's existential dilemma and angst. He is the perfect voice for magnifying the poetry and metaphors of Williams's script. To his credit, he does not act Tom; he is Tom, excelling in rendering "truth in the pleasant disguise of illusion."

Where the stage might have been set more imaginatively, it is instead bare of the elements that would more clearly represent the Wingfield's financial circumstances. Where the fire escape should assume its prominent place as a symbol of one of the play's central themes, it is obscured behind a series of glazed panels. Nor do sound and lighting create the distinctive tones and moods of the play.

In the end, ATC's production of THE GLASS MENAGERIE is a fractured arrangement. Its run extends through March 5th at the Herberger Theater Center's Center Stage in Phoenix, AZ.

Arizona Theatre Company ~ 1-833-ATC-SEAT (1-833-282-7328) ~ boxoffice@atc.org

Venue: Herberger Theatre Center ~ 222 E Monroe St, Phoenix, AZ ~ 602-254-7399 ~ https://www.herbergertheater.org/

Photo credit to Tim Fuller: 1.) Aaron Cammack; 2.) L to R ~ Michelle Chin, Lillie Richardson, Aaron Cammack

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