courtesy of the Guthrie Theater
Man and woman in a scene from The Glass Menagerie
The Guthrie Theater starts its 2019-2020 season with The Glass Menagerie by Tennessee Williams.
Since the performance began, I have been searching for the right word to capture the touching, poised, and impressive performance of Tennessee Williams’ The Glass Menagerie at the Guthrie Theater. But touching, poised, and impressive do not seem to do justice to the work of four incredible actors on a rounded stage, portraying the complex and multi-faceted relationships of family members. So, I kept rifling through the catalogs of my mind to find the word.
Soulful.
The performance, directed by Joseph Haj, was soulful. I was captivated from the moment Remy Auberjonois began his initial monologue, explaining the characters and the background of the play. There was just the right amount of humor, so I never felt totally plunged into the tragedy of the storyline, but also plenty of emotional oomph to hit those heart strings and provoke thoughtful reflection.
My previous impression of The Glass Menagerie was from a limited scope of references to Tennessee Williams classics on Gilmore Girls. But the Guthrie’s performance of The Glass Menagerie gripped me until the very end.
courtesy of the Guthrie Theater
Jennifer Van Dyck played by Amanda Wingfield
Jennifer Van Dyck plays Amanda Wingfield, the southern bell mother of Tom and Laura, in The Glass Menagerie.
With The Glass Menagerie, Tennessee Williams created a new form, which he called the "memory play." We live in Tom’s (Remy Auberjonois) memories of his family, and see into their pasts through their musings throughout the play. The play chronicles Tom's overbearing mother, and her forceful attempts to provide for his differently-abled sister in the future. Tom’s opening monologue introduces the characters, giving context and interjecting every so often to narrate, so there's no mid-play confusion. Williams examines whether we are able to choose our memories, and what we can never forget, despite our best efforts.
Anyone who has felt unfairly prosecuted as a child for slumping their shoulders or going to the movies all too often will identify with Tom and understand the sometimes humorous, sometimes tenuous, mother-son relationship between him and his mother. Jennifer Van Dyck plays Amanda, the helicopter parent we all simultaneously loved and hated as a teenager. Van Dyck gives dimension and humanity to a complicated character and her even more complex relationships with her children. She is tender and weirdly lovable, despite her mildly selfish, overbearing parenting. Through Van Dyck’s dynamic performance of Southern pride, loving motherhood, and resilient single parenting, we begin to notice how even though the world has changed substantially (hello streaming, goodbye phonographs and dance halls), people and relationships are the unchanging foundation of who we are.
In the Wingfield home, Tom’s older sister Laura is the continuing, underlying focus. Carey Cox’s portrayal of Laura’s sweet, shy manner made me love Laura in the boundless way her family seems to love her. Gentleman Caller (Grayson DeJesus), important but invisible until the final scenes, is pompous but caring. His interactions with the Wingfield family pronounce the dysfunctional dynamics of the family with empathy and humor.
courtesy of the Guthrie Theater
Laura Wingfield, played by Carey Cox
Laura Wingfield, played by Carey Cox, is the center of the household in The Glass Menagerie.
The entire play unfolds in the small Wingfield apartment and adjacent “terrace” fire escape landing. The set, dimly lit because it is a memory play, is beautifully simple and allows the acting to shine. The singular setting of The Glass Menagerie portrays the volume of development and interaction at home and among family, conjuring my own old memories.
Each of the talented actors in this play unwrap the web of emotions and motives with the precision and expertise of a heart surgeon. Remy Auberjonois, Jennifer Van Dyck, Carey Cox, and Grayson DeJesus, under the direction of Joseph Haj, are the life behind this classic play and bring it into the modern era in the slightly humorous and deeply emotional style the Guthrie is known for.
If you walk out of this play and do not feel that your own family in some way resembles the Wingfields… Well, you won’t. Just trust me. This is the American family, but not the white picket fence, two kids, a dog, and an SUV picture of the American Dream. This is the real American family. Hopefully you will walk out of the Guthrie impressed at its reality and honesty–or maybe searching for a word to describe it.
