Tennessee Williams’s all-time classic returns to the London stage in a visually innovative production by Atri Banerjee, currently playing until the end of the month. Guillermo Nazara shares his views on the show, to let us know if this new mirror image on Williams’s own life has any cracks in it.
The past always finds a way to sneak into our present… Tennessee Williams’s life story is a perfect portrait of sour success. A broken soul trying to put its back together through the bittersweet act of writing – regaling its crowd with the poetic arrows of his personal sorrow.
A classic among classics in contemporary in both American and worldwide theatre, The Glass Menagerie is always a welcomed guest to any stage or season. The reasons are fairly simple – it’s a piece that has every ingredient to make of it a work of dramaturgical excellence: relatable conflict, character introspection, beautifully penned dialogue, and story arc that, despite the stillness its personages are condemned to, takes us through a harrowing roller coaster of crude emotions and rough self-discovery.
A shining gem in anyone’s repertoire, the timeless proximity of its themes make of the play a pungent treat for artists and audiences alike – leading to new ways of exploring the heartrending journeys of its striving mid-century Southern household. Director Atri Banerjee understands this concept to a great degree, preserving the basis of what, in the end, is the core driver of the whole tale, while adding some new elements in a generally satisfying portrayal of Williams’s breakthrough creation.
With a sterile set (credit to Rosanna Vize) consisting on a tilted round platform and a revolving neon billboard suspended on top, flaunting the ironic title of “Paradise”, the montage provides us with a Brechtian approach whose visual strength relies on its allegorical blocking (somehow, projecting a cinematic vibe) and suggestive lighting. Supported by an eerie original score by Giles Thomas, combining influences that evoke the work of film-composing icons ranging from Bernard Herman signature style to Maurice Jarre’s memorable contribution to Dead Poets Society), the whole production manages to build an identity that bridges between the old and the new – keeping the genius of its author intact, while allowing it to breath at its own pace.
A highly enjoyable rendition enhancing the uncanny charm of the material, there are however some glitches to be amended in this take – with some moments going for an excessively modernized (sometimes, even camp) revision, which sadly achieve to do nothing else but to erase part of the effectiveness of its brilliant script. Using some 80s-90s songs as Laura’s “safe-place” tools, later to become the accompaniment to her mischievous dance with Mr. O’Connor – its attempt at making the recount more accessible to today’s viewers instead feel slightly inefficient and, in all honesty, completely unnecessary, as the section is deprived of all the artful undertone it requires as a key component for the characters’ evolution.
In any case, such flaws are easily forgiven and, to some point, forgiven thanks to the lead cast’s rather exquisite interpretations. Kasper Hilton-Hille gives a much compelling performance as the protagonist, Tom (Williams’s alter ego) – endowing his character with both fervor and empathy, and allowing us to feel for his plight and, consequently, defend his volatility. In addition, Geraldine Somerville literally steals the scene in her superb depiction of Tom’s possessive and manipulative mother – bringing out the complexity of her clashing personality, filled with toxic traits which, paradoxically, stem from the sole intent of securing a good life for her children.
A tale of remembrance, dealing with the indelible suffering that haunts the pages of our fate, The Glass Menagerie remains unbroken to eyes, ears and hearts of its public, harmlessly kept on display through a production that, though presenting some mildly unhinged pillars, stands proud and towering by still encapsulating the acid flavour of its blazing essence. It’s a ticking bomb waiting to explode. And when it does, it creates a storm its audience can easily be taken by.
The Glass Menagerie plays at London’s Alexandra Palace until 1 June. Tickets are available on the following link.
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