I have seen more productions of The Glass Menagerie (at the Jungle, 2951 Lyndale Ave. S., through Oct 17, jungletheater.com),
Alayne Hopkins as Laura and Joshua James Campbell as Tom in the Jungle's The Glass Menagerie. Photo by Michal Daniel.
Tennessee Williams‘s oft-produced and touching portrait of life in Depression era St. Louis, than I care to contemplate.
But I have never seen the Big Scene (between Laura and Jim the Gentleman Caller; it takes up a large part of Act 2) done with this much delicate and focused power. The actors are seated on the floor, light (the scene is lit entirely by candelabra) dancing over their faces, talking about the past, their dreams for the future. Michael Booth plays Jim with earnest brashness, chewing gum, grinning – energizing the scene.
Ah, but the power comes from Alayne Hopkins. She’s the star of the scene – indeed, of the whole play. Soft-spoken, willowy, shy, she shines here with undeniable inner beauty. She makes us understand that Laura will transform the small moments of the scene – the slow kiss, the glass unicorn’s candlelit shimmer, Jim’s heartfelt compliments – into life-sustaining memories (it’s a memory play, after all). If ever you need a reason to see a show, Hopkins provides it.
Not that the other performers disappoint. Minnesota treasure Wendy Lehr, with her diminutive stage-grabbing presence, plays Amanda with energy and fire. Her pushiness is balanced by her clear and resonant love for her children. As Tom, our narrator, Joshua James Campbell takes a mannered, restrained but ultimately very satisfying approach – with just the right touch of bitterness. Exceptional work all around.
Director Bain Boehlke gives us an appropriately quiet and understated production. The emphasis stays where it should: on the acting. This show displays none of the theatrical glitz that marred the 2007 Guthrie production.
Also, as is always the case at the Jungle, Boehlke serves up gorgeous design: Barry Browning (lights), Amelia Cheever (costumes), Sean Healey (sound), Emmeline A. Hall (wigs) and sets by Boehlke himself.
The Glass Menagerie was Williams’s first success and it remains (I would guess) his most-produced play. There is some Act 1 clunkiness, some awkward transitions, but the characters have genuine Williamsesque power and the play builds beautifully to the Big Scene.
Recommended.
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