Faulkner University

The Glass Menagerie
by Michael P. Howley *Special to the Advertiser *

April 8, 2009

If memory serves, "The Glass Menagerie" has not been staged in Montgomery for at least twenty-five years, too long for such a masterpiece of American drama. Enter Faulkner University with a production that captures the essences of the Tennessee Williams poetic 1944 script while embuing it with twenty-first century attitudes.
Under Jason Clark South's sensitive direction and detailed scene design, his cast of four veteran actors brings Williams' characters to life.
Tom Wingfield [Thomas G. Haberkorn] both narrates and participates in the "memory play" about a critical moment in the lives of his mother Amanda [Angela Dickson] and sister Laura [Hailey Beene]. Having fallen on hard times with the departure of Mr. Wingfield -"a telephone man who fell in love with long distance" -Amanda's dreams for her children's success hinge on a "gentleman caller" to ensure Laura's future. When the "gentleman caller" in the person of Jim O’Connor [Michael Morrow] appears in Act II, these dreams are shattered.
Each character attempts to escape from the lives they currently live, lives that are humdrum at best. Tom earns little salary at his warehouse job and escapes through writing poetry and going to the movies for adventure. Amanda lives so much in her romanticized past, a life of gentility and Southern charm, that she can not face the reality of the present and persists in correcting faults and maintaining an optimistic front. Jim has dreams of re-living his high-school success through taking courses at night school. And Laura - a sickly and desperately shy woman with no sense of self-worth - escapes into the world of her collection of glass animals, the "menagerie" of the title.
South's multi-level set gives a sustained interest to the staging, and selected moments of the story are located in strategic parts of the Wingfield apartment. The pastel color pallet and even the bright lighting demonstrate a different way of approaching the play; not so much as a somber recollection that most productions follow, but as a purgative of the shattered dreams of its characters.
From the first moments, Haberkorn’s Tom lets us know through light vocal inflection and pleasant facial expression that his "memory" of the past, though difficult at times, will lead to an acceptance of human flaws and personal responsibility. This tone is captured also by Morrow's "gentleman caller" in his attempt to communicate with Laura. A few mannered affectations aside, Morrow's realistically truthful depiction of Jim cements the play's overriding theme.
Laura appears as a pathetic creature through Beene's persistent stuttering and introverted physicality, and very subtly begins to emerge from her self-imposed cocoon under Jim's compassionate guidance, retreating immediately when she realizes he is already spoken for.
As Amanda, Dickson is thoroughly believable in her concern for her children's welfare. Though she demonstrates it by turns with gentle touches and enthusiastic optimism, her nature is such that the romantic past and old-fashioned manners interfere with accomplishing anything meaningful. Dickson can play the coquette as well as the authoritarian, switching easily on any given phrase.
Though the flow of the plot is slowed by lengthy scene changes, South's production of "The Glass Menagerie" gives attention to many of life’s concerns with sympathy.

Michael P. Howley (mhowley@alasu.edu) is a member of the American Theatre Critics Association. He teaches English and Humanities at Alabama State University, and serves on the Board of Directors of the Alabama Conference of Theatre and the Southeastern Theatre Conference.