 |
| Amanda (Karen Aldridge) and Jim (Rafael Jordan) raise a toast as Laura (Phoebe Fico) sits by. (Photo by Kevin Berne) |
California Shakespeare Theater is staging its first Tennessee
Williams play, his quasi-autobiographical “The Glass Menagerie.”
The action takes place in a St. Louis tenement
apartment during the Depression. Amanda Wingfield (Karen Aldridge) lives with
her adult children, Tom (Sean San José) and Laura (Phoebe Fico). Her husband,
their father, abandoned them long ago, leaving only a picture of himself and
some old phonograph records.
In this memory play, the characters are decent yet flawed.
The complex Amanda chatters on about being a
Southern belle with gentlemen callers. She thinks that if Laura had some
gentlemen callers, all would be well. This wish has no grounding in reality.
On the other hand, she’s deeply concerned about her
children and their welfare, especially given their financial straits.
Tom is the family’s sole support, working at a
warehouse job he hates. He wants to leave, but he stays out of a sense of
responsibility for his mother and sister.
Painfully shy and disabled, Laura plays those old
records on a Victrola and cherishes her miniature glass animals – hence the
play’s title.
The play’s big event is the arrival of a gentleman
caller, Jim (Rafael Jordan), who works with Tom.
Amanda is all aflutter, hoping he could be the one
for Laura.
At first Laura is dismayed, but she blossoms during a
conversation with the affable Jim, on whom she had a crush in high school, only
to be terribly disappointed.
As directed by Lisa Portes, the acting is a mixed
bag. She makes San José’s Tom too manic,
especially during his opening monologue. He paces around the stage, and later,
as he moves scenery, he runs. It’s overdone.
On the other hand, Aldridge’s Amanda is almost
always on the mark as she repeats her stories and badgers her children. She can
be over the top when she’s upset, but for good reason.
Fico, making her professional acting debut, is well
cast as Laura. She uses crutches and delivers her lines as if it were hard to
express herself, as is true of Laura.
Jordan is likable as Jim, the gentleman caller. He
can be a braggart, but he’s unfailingly polite and sincerely interested in
Laura as a person.
The set is by Annie Smart with lighting by Xavier
Pierce, costumes by Raquel Barreto and sound by Brendan Aanes.
This production runs about two hours without the usual intermission,
sending some people to the restrooms.
“The Glass Menagerie” will continue through July 30
at Cal Shakes’ outdoor Bruns Amphitheater, 100 California Shakespeare Theater
Way (off Hwy. 24), Orinda. For tickets and information, call (510) 548-9666 or
visit www.calshakes.org.
