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What's On > 2004 - 2005 Season >
The Glass Menagerie
Chronicle Review - February 2 2005
(click
here to visit this review on the Evening Chronicle Website - half way down
the page)
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The Glass Menagerie, People's Theatre, Newcastle, until Saturday
THE Glass Menagerie catapulted Tennessee Williams into popular literary
culture and marked the beginning of his writing career.
The confined 90-seater Studio at the People's Theatre, Heaton, provided a
perfect setting for this largely autobiographical play and tells the tale of
Amanda Wingfield (Anne Cater) and her two grown up kids, Laura (Rachel Ramsey)
and Tom (Bob Gilmour).
Set in the slums of 1930s America, The Glass Menagerie sees the Wingfield
family left to suffer alone following the departure of the father.
The Glass Menagerie occurs in the Wingfields' tiny apartment, with Tom
Wingfield acting as narrator and all the action is told through recollections.
With an absent father and a disabled sister, Tom is the only breadwinner,
working at a warehouse, and desperate to escape the shackles of his overbearing
mother.
Despite being a loving parent, Amanda pries into her grown-up children's
lives.
Her daughter Laura, left lame by a childhood disease, has an incredibly
nervous disposition, leaving her virtually housebound with plenty of time to
care for her collection of glass animals (The Glass Menagerie).
Amanda wiles away her days fantasising about her youthful prime as a young
Southern belle.
A failed attempt to put daughter Laura through college leads Amanda to put
all her efforts into finding a husband for her timid child.
Tom, clearly desperate to flee the nest, is presented with a deal by Amanda:
if they can find a suitable spouse for his sister then he should no longer feel
obliged to provide for his family.
A completely unsuccessful pairing of Laura and his colleague Jim (Chris Keach)
leads to one final bust-up with his mother and Tom finally leaves under a cloud.
Tom is played with understated passion by Bob Gilmour.
He provides great insight into the Wingfields' situation and his catch 22
predicament creates a key theme of the play, as he confronts a tough decision
between duty for his family and finally being given the freedom to live an adult
life.
Anne Cater's performance as matriarch Amanda is intense and emotionally
charged, dominating the stage as the embittered and domineering head of the
family.
Meanwhile Rachel Ramsey as Laura provides an excellent contrast to Amanda as
the introverted daughter, with her browbeaten movements.
Director Kevin Gibson has approached a difficult play with tact and evident
ease.
The show deserves to sell out quickly and runs until Saturday.
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