Like everyone else in the theatre abroad program, I was pretty underwhelmed by the Glass Menagerie, however I think I liked it more than a lot of my classmates. The play overall felt very low energy and I was very board by physical choices made by the actors. What I saw was a lot of scenes where characters stood 15 feet apart from each other and recited monologues back to one another with their arms by their side. Despite this the script itself is so amazing and the actors are so in the zone that the play and its many conflicts did entertain me. The whole cast truly embodied their characters, personally I just wasn’t thrilled with the choices that were made for those characters and I expect that my problem with it was more of a directorial issue.
This quintessential American play to me felt very British. Each member of the Wingfield family had a different accent and Tom’s actor often struggled to keep his. The lighting was very dim, and the main stage was a minimalist design which is a regular tendency of British plays I am learning.Truthfully the play didn’t feel like Missouri or America at all. It sort of reminded me of the old transatlantic style television which may have been an artistic choice but not one I cared for being that its based in fiction. I feel that the play being American affected the production in a way that made the acting and show as a whole feel awkward and forced. When I compare this play to the British plays I’ve seen here, they feel much more authentic and natural.
As an American I sometimes I struggle to understand the language used in British shows but after a little while I typically adjust and enjoy their shows like I would any other American show.I don’t know how British people respond to American plays really, I originally assumed that Americans were perceived as dumber and more obnoxious people, which may still slightly be true, but since arriving in London and seeing it for the incredibly diverse city that it is, I think the mass majority just see each other as equals with different cultures that can be respected and enjoyed.
Theatre in London U of A 