Tennessee Williams’ The Glass Menagerie is one of those timeless classics which simply doesn’t get old, no matter how many times it’s done. It’s my favorite play, and in addition to reading it multiple times I’ve seen several productions of it in the triangle.
While it’s been years since Raleigh Little Theatre last put on this show, the company’s latest rendition of it offers a stirring, faithful adaptation with a fantastic ensemble.
Based heavily on Williams’ personal life, the play tells the story of the Wingfields, a depression-era southern family of three whose father left them years earlier. Tom (Jesse Gephart), the elder son, works in a warehouse to provide for his staunchly conservative mother Amanda (Mary Rowland) and introverted sister Laura (Kelly McConkey), while he himself is an aspiring poet. Tom also narrates, describing the play in the opening monologue as a “memory.”
As Laura, who has a slight physical handicap which makes her overtly self-conscious, keeps to herself with old records and a myriad of glass figures displayed on her glass menagerie, her mother is desperate to marry her off to a southern gentleman. Knowing that Tom is eager to leave their crammed apartment, she tells him that he must first find a gentleman caller for Laura to meet. Begrudgingly, he invites his friend from the warehouse Jim O’Connor (Ryan Ladue) to the house for dinner.
It’s a testament to the cast, and to director Patrick Torres, that they’re able to make an intimate story just as engaging as any upbeat musical comedy. Because of its condensed, singular setting and limited number of characters, the play relies heavily on its performances, which this production excels at.
Playing both the younger and older versions of Tom, Gephart brings about the noble qualities as well as the imperfections of the character. On the one hand he sacrifices much to take care of his mother and sister, and we empathize with him as he puts up with his mother’s overbearingness. During one of several comical scenes between them in act one, Amanda instructs her son how to eat properly while they’re at the table, saying that he needs to chew and digest rather than gulp down.
Likewise, Gephart also conveys Tom’s more rebellious desires and unquenchable thirst for adventure, both of which are a direct contrast to Amanda’s Christian principles. The two play off each other well, building the tension between them over the course of the play, until it manifests in the conclusion. While other productions have used a different actor to play the older version who narrates, I like how Gephart is able to portray both so well, juxtaposing his determined younger self with a more defeated and aged man who’s filled with regret.
As Amanda, Rowland brings about a vibrant energy as she seeks to control every aspect of the family. In many cases, particularly in the first act, her presence produces a more humorous response, given the character’s absurd level of anxiety. One scene shows her making a fuss upon learning that she has only a day to prepare for Mr. O’Connor’s visit, despite Tom insisting that she has nothing to worry about. Yet as the story progresses and takes a darker tone in act two, Rowland beautifully captures Amanda’s more complex internal struggles.
When the story shifts to Laura and Jim’s interaction in act two, McConkey and Ladue display a natural chemistry. Despite Laura’s all but nonexistent self-confidence and Jim’s unabashed charm, the two discover a connection between one another which enables them to interact.
While the overall tone feels more classic, the play’s themes of familial relationships and identity certainly speak to modern audiences as well as older. Regardless of your familiarity with the play, RLT’s The Glass Menagerie is a fantastic culmination of both its humor and drama.
Showtimes and ticket prices are available on Raleigh Little Theatre’s website.
