The-Glass-Menagerie

THEGLASSMENAGERIE(1945)TennesseeWilliams(1911-1988)TennesseeWilliams’searlylifewasassociatedwiththeSouth(andsoaremanyofhisplaysandstories).HewasborninColumbus,MississippiandhisfamilymovedtoSt.Louissomeyearslater.Hisfatherwasaviolent,aggressivetravelingsalesman,hismother,thehigh-minded,puritanicaldaughterofaclergyman;hiseldersister,ashyandhypersensitivegirlwithmentalaswellasphysicalproblemswhicheventuallynecessitatedthatshebeinstitutionalized.Hisfamilythusprovidedhimwiththeseedsforcharacterswhoweretopeoplemanyofhisplays.HeenteredcollegeduringtheDepressionandleftafteracoupleofyearstotakeupaclericaljobinashoefactory,beforeresuminghisacademicstudiesatWashingtonUniversity,inSt.Louis,andthenattheUniversityofIowa.Williamswasconstantlystrivingtobecomeawriter,turningoutasteadystreamofpoetry,storiesandplays.HewandersaboutthecountryworkingatavarietyofjobsinNewOrleans,Mexico,Chicago,Florida,LosAngeles.Hewaitedtable,usheredinmovietheaters,andranelevators,etc.untilhereachedNewYork,determinedtomakeacareerofthetheater.Aseriesofone-actplaysattractedattentiontoWilliams,andin1940theTheaterGuildsponsoredhisfirstprofessionalfull-lengthproductionofBattleofAngelsinBoston.TheplayfailedtoreachNewYorkbuthisnexteffort,TheGlassMenagerie,afteralongtryoutinChicago,cametoNewYorkin1945andwasapopularandcriticalsuccess,whichloftedhimintothecelebrity.TwoyearslaterhetriumphedagainwithAStreetcarNamedDesireandbecameoneofAmerica’smostapplaudedplaywrights.OtherplaysofWilliams’includeSummerandSmoke,SweetBirdofYouth,CatonaHotTinRoof,TheRoseTattooandTheNightoftheIguana.Manyoftheplayshavebeentranslatedforproductionsthroughouttheworld,and,withfewexceptions,hisworks(includingsomeofhisnovels)havebeeneffectivelytransferredtofilm.Inanearlyshortstory,TennesseeWilliamsdescribedacharacter’s“senseoftheenormousgrotesquerieoftheworld,”aphrasewhichcanstandastheparadigmofhisownworldview.Outofthecompassionbornofhisownpainfuldiscoveryoftheultimatelonelinessandisolatednessofindividualhumanexperienceintheworldwherehelived,Wil1iamshasfashionedatheaterinwhichimagesofincrediblebrutalitycollidewiththoseoffragilebeauty.Manyofhisplaysembodythepointofviewheonceannounced:“ItisnottheessentialdignitybuttheessentialambiguityofmanthatIthinkneedstobestated.”TheGlassMenageriefromTennesseeWilliams:SweetBirdofYouth/AStreetcarNamedDesire/TheGlassMenagerie,PenguinBooks,1987.CHARACTERSAMANDAWINGFIELD[themother]:Alittlewomanofgreatbutconfusedvitalityclingingfranticallytoanothertimeandplace.Hercharacterizationmustbecarefullycreated,notcopiedfromtype.Sheisnotparanoiac,butherlifeisparanoia.ThereismuchtoadmireinAmanda,andasmuchtoloveandpityasthereistolaughat.Certainlyshehasenduranceandakindofheroism,andthoughherfoolishnessmakesherunwittinglycruelattimes,thereistendernessinherslightperson.LAURAWINGFIELD[herdaughter]:Amanda,havingfailedtoestablishcontactwithreality,continuestolivevitallyinherillusions,butLaura’ssituationisevengraver.Achildhoodillnesshas1efthercrippled,onelegslightlyshorterthantheother,andheldinabrace.Thisdefectneednotbemorethansuggestedonthestage.Stemmingfromthis,Laura’sseparationincreasestillsheislikeapieceofherownglasscollection,tooexquisitelyfragiletomovefromtheshelf.TOMWINGFIELD[herson,andthenarratoroftheplay]:Apoetwithajobinawarehouse.Hisnatureisnotremorseless,buttoescapefromatraphehastoactwithoutpity.JIMO’CONNOR[thegentlemancaller]:Anice,ordinary,youngman.PRODUCTIONNOTESBeinga‘memoryplay’,TheGlassMenageriecanbepresentedwithunusualfreedomfromconvention.Becauseofitsconsiderablydelicateortenuousmaterial,atmospherictouchesandsubtletiesofdirectionplayaparticularlyimportantpart.Expressionismandallotherunconventionaltechniquesindramahaveonlyonevalidaim,andthatisacloserapproachtotruth.Whenaplayemploysunconventionaltechniques,itisnot,orcertainlyshouldn’tbe,tryingtoescapeitsresponsibilityofdealingwithreality,orinterpretingexperience,butisactuallyorshouldbeattemptingtofindacloserapproach,amorepenetratingandvividexpressionofthingsastheyare.Thestraightrealisticplaywithitsgenuinefrigidaireandauthenticicecubes,itscharactersthatspeakexactlyasitsaudiencespeaks,correspondstotheacademiclandscapeandhasthesamevirtueofaphotographiclikeness.Everyoneshouldknownowadaystheunimportanceofthephotographicinart:thattruth,life,orrealityisanorganicthingwhichthepoeticimaginationcanrepresentorsuggest,inessence,onlythroughtransformation,throughchangingintootherformsthanthosewhichweremerelypresentinappearance.Theseremarksarenotmeantasaprefaceonlytothisparticularplay.Theyhavetodowithaconceptionofanew,plastictheatrewhichmusttaketheplaceoftheexhaustedtheatreofrealisticconventionsifthetheatreistoresumevitalityasapartofourculture.THESCREENDEVICEThereisonlyoneimportantdifferencebetweentheoriginalandactingversionoftheplayandthatistheomissioninthelatterofthedevicewhichItentativelyincludedinmyoriginalscript.Thisdevicewastheuseofascreenonwhichwereprojectedmagic-lanternslidesbearingimagesortitles.IdonotregrettheomissionofthisdevicefromthepresentBroadwayproduction.TheextraordinarypowerofMissTaylor’sperformancemadeit