After reading The Glass Menagerie by Tennessee Williams and discussing it during class, I was so thrilled that we were going to see it on the West End; especially because it was starring one of my favorite actors, Amy Adams. We had beautiful conversations about it being a memory play, the potential of the technical elements involved with the production, and the way we saw the complex lives of the characters living within this piece. I absolutely had an idea in my head regarding what the set should look like, the lighting, and all the other elements of theatre that we use as tools for story-telling. When we arrived and I saw the set, I was sure that the pieces of furniture and spaces in their home would be brought onstage, leaving us with a living set of the Wingfield home. I was shocked when I realized the director chose not to do that, and instead allowed the actors to move about a mostly bare, black stage surrounded by a realistic version of their apartment. During our discussion in the park, Shawn mentioned the idea that a memory seems fuzzy on the outsides, not the core, when he remembers things in his mind. I agree and that was the main reason why I was so disappointed by the choice to set the show in the way that they did. To me, not only did this choice not give the show its full dreamlike tone, but it limited the actors regarding their movement, spacial relationship to one another, and efficiency in viewing the show as a whole. It was widely due to my seat I’m sure, but most of the time I either couldn’t see what an actor was doing on the sides of the black center stage, or I had to move myself in order to view anything they were doing when they weren’t dead center. However, the set piece that felt the closest to what I had imaged was Laura’s glass menagerie. While I would’ve wanted to see it in more of a wooden cabinet and not something that resembled that of a glass museum case, it was still as sparkling, clean, and delicate as I pictured it. The lighting design was one of the strongest elements of the show to me solely due to the theatre wide blackout that occurred when their apartment’s power was cut, leaving Laura and Jim to have an intimate candlelit scene on the floor. That was my favorite scene in the entire show, other than when Amanda came out dressed in what could’ve been a fluffy wedding dress to show off how beautiful she was in Laura’s time. The show itself is semi-autobiographical for Tennessee Williams and the areas that I feel a British artist could lose contact with or have trouble connecting with is how intimate the piece is as a whole and his (plus Tom’s) overall disdain for the town of St. Louis. London is far larger of a city, therefore I could see how this growing hatred for being stuck within St. Louis’ city limits could be hard to grasp as an artist in such a large city. I know that is very specific an as actors/artists we must be able to pretend, but it could have affected the overall vision for the show in some way.
When it comes to an American play being produced by remarkable British artists on the West End, I was left confused by the choices that were made. However, all of the other British theatre we have seen has left me speechless, inspired, and wanting more. As an American student currently studying acting under someone I consider the greatest instructor/mentor I have ever had, British theatre reminded me of all the lessons she has taught me, one of the greatest being to always go deeper. The growing understanding of the depth of humanity has been one of the biggest takeaways for me (among so many other techniques) and I have gratefully been able to view works full of British actors that more than understand that principal. With that principal also comes the physical embodiment of it and how it allows you to exist in whatever space you are in, something that I believe those involved in the West End/British theatre do in excellence. Regarding the Glass Menagerie, there were beautiful moments between characters in this way, but the overall vision Jeremy Herrin had for this classic Tennessee Williams piece left me puzzled. His credits are outstanding and I truly believe, as we said in class, all that left me confused was a choice, just not one I would make.
Theatre in London U of A 