A Re-Imagined Menagerie

When I think of landmark 20th Century theater, the works of Arthur Miller, Edward Albee and Tennessee Williams come immediately to mind. Their work is simply timeless and has attracted some of the finest actors of the time to create extraordinary performances that generations of theater-goers hold in fond memory. So it was with great anticipation that my family and I returned to the Mark Taper Forum Saturday night to see the latest LA production of Williams' "The Glass Menagerie". Put simply, it was a magical night.

Autobiographical at it's core, this play explores Williams' reflections on his family. This production, directed by Gordon Edelstein, reveals almost immediately that the entire play springs entirely from the playwright's memory. Williams' persona, Tom, is played brilliantly by Patch Darragh. He delivers a powerful, convincing interpretation that charts an illuminating course through the stormy waters of this family in turmoil. But it is Judith Ivey who truly shines in the matriarchal role of Amanda. Distraught over her children's future, wistful for the rosy memories of her youth and broken by the departure of her husband many years before, Amanda is at once aggravating, funny and heartbreaking.

Typical of the best productions at the Taper, this one is spare. A single, simple room serves both as present day hotel room for the storyteller and remembered apartment/house from years past. Tom slips back and forth between these easily, often typing the story on his old typewriter as the story itself unfolds across the room. It's an effective trick. The cast is expertly rounded out by Keira Keeley and Ben McKenzie who's tender exchange in Act II drew me in with memories of misinterpreted affections in my own life. Powerful stuff.

Coming away from the theater, I was struck with the realization that what makes "Menagerie" so compelling is the stark ordinariness of the lives it reveals. So much of modern theater contains characters with dark, outrageous, sometimes evil flaws. In such cases, I find it easier to distance myself from their predicaments - remain detached from it - because their reality is so removed from my own. But the lives portrayed here are everyone's lives. They are not astounding, except in their universal appeal. I imagine any mother can relate to Amanda's turmoil. Every young man can personalize Tom's rebellion for freedom. For me, "Menagerie" derives it's timeless power from this simple reality. It's why I, like so many others, will return to see it whenever I can.