Theater Reviews + Features | Pittsburgh City Paper: Whatever else might or might not have been done right in the Theatre Factory's version of Tennessee Williams' The Glass Menagerie, the company has met the most essential requirement. This production is a clear and uncluttered opportunity to experience what I consider to be the greatest play ever written.
3 comments:
I love the paragraph in this article that comments on the authenticity and integrity of the piece. Sure, I'm sure it's not a perfect production by any means, but in my opinion, there's something hugely important in seeing plays where the playwright's intent isn't hidden, obscured, or changed by a bold new directorial choice that takes it to a whole different world. Bold directorial choices absolutely have their place in the theatre world, and they are part of what makes theatre new and exciting, but there is also something to be said for doing a play as it was written and as the playwright intended it to be seen. Glass Menagerie especially, can have a huge impact on an audience and (I think) is an amazing play, and so I'm happy that this article doesn't critique or criticize the production for performing the play and not performing the design.
Tennessee Williams is by far my favorite gay playwright named after a state.
I think it is interesting that one of the flaws that was mentioned was the age of Amanda. Many times in performances the ages of characters are looked over yet this is a significant factor of the piece. If for example someone who is the mother/father appears younger than the son/daughter the entire dynamic can be thrown off. Often times age is not actually mentioned in the script(other than character descriptions) and so the audience can be very confused in instances like this. I think this responsibility goes to both the person casting as well as the costume designer to make sure to stay true to the piece.
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