At half after seven on Friday September 24, the Lipscomb Department of Theater began their production of Tennessee Williams’ The Glass Menagerie under the direction of Beki Baker.
Within the first two scenes, three of the four characters appear: Amanda, the overbearing southern mother, and her two children, passionate Tom and timid Laura.
From here the story unfolds as Amanda schemes to marry off Laura, all the while trying to inspire Tom to aid her in finding a respectable suitor. In the end, Amanda’s plan fails, and leaves Laura even more withdrawn than before.
In the two hour play, not once did I yawn, or shift in my chair out of boredom—the production seized my attention within the first few minutes and simply did not let go until all four characters had left the stage.
The cast portrayed their respective characters quite well. Sawyer Wallace went from rhythmic narration to bold and passionate bellowing as the tumultuous Tom while Holly Barker constantly chimed in as Amanda, the nagging mother with a fast paced southern accent. Carter Martin spoke clearly and yet somehow timidly as Laura, and Mitch Miller maintained the idealistic awestruck tone of a dreamer.
This production’s splendor did not stop at the good acting, but rather continued to show through the visually interesting and character-reflecting costumes. The sparse background acted as a nice back drop to the splendid acting, and the production would have felt over the top with any more detail added to the slightly bleary setting.
I followed the plot very easily, despite my unfamiliarity with the subject matter, and I doubt I would have found a better production of this classic play.
The Glass Menagerie will be showing through Sunday and next weekend, Oct. 1-3. For more information about the show, watch the video below!