THE
GLASS MENAGERIE
Writtle
Cards
at
Writtle Village Hall
03.02.12
For
their hundredth production, Writtle chose Tennessee Williams' moody
memory play, first staged in 1944.
A
tough call, recreating the steamy world of St Louis just a stone's
throw from Writtle's frozen duckpond, but Writtle
Cards' production [directed by Laura Bennett and produced by Nick
Caton] worked
hard to establish atmosphere, with Tom's opening monologue,
evocatively delivered by Caton, with the black stage [which really
needed a more ambitious lighting plot] and with the soundtrack: the
worn-out phonograph records on Laura's Victrola, The Swan and other
animals, and cheap music from the Paradise Dance Hall across the
street.
Two
other devices added much to our appreciation of the piece: the "magic
mirror" on the wall [though it should really have been bigger]
and the key words ['legends'], revealed Brecht-style on costumes and
furnishings. Not everything worked, but the production was full of
real originality and inspiration.
Paulette
Harris was a very convincing Amanda, the faded Southern Belle who is
over-fond of her shy, disabled daughter [Megan Hill, in a touchingly
simple performance]. Harris caught the martyred expression, the
resignation, the tristesse, to perfection. She had the accent nailed
too. Only occasional insecurity with the words prevented this from being a
truly outstanding interpretation.
Ben
Fraser's "scrubbed and polished" Gentleman Caller was a
nice foil for Caton's tragic Tom, trapped in the stifling apartment
and the dead-end warehouse, until he finally walks out, with "and
so goodbye" on his valise.
2 comments:
Oh how magnificently apt - the quote on the pinny worn by Paulette as Tom's mother. I reckon Tennesee would have approved as it says so much.
How apt - the quotation on the front of Paulette's apron
Post a Comment