Glass Menagerie first preview - Page 5

[RippedMan]

Posted: 9/11/13 at 12:13pm

I didn't buy him at all as Tom. And I didn't get any of the homosexual undertones maybe because he line readings were so stilted and weird.

[dtzumbrunnen]

Posted: 9/11/13 at 1:47pm

Saw it last night and was a little worried that all of the praise in this thread was going to raise my expectations too much, but it was an excellent evening of theatre.

While everyone pulled their weight, Cherry Jones stood head and shoulder above the rest. I was absolutely captivated by her right hand throughout the play. If you haven't been, watch for it. The subtle movements she makes and how she handles the apparent tremors she encounters with it add so much to the performance.

Although the choreography felt a little out of place at times, I really liked how it was able to help you see how alike Amanda and Laura really are. Along those lines, I thought it was interesting to see *Spoiler?? Director's Interpretation?* how in the end, Tom has a good bit of Amanda in him, as he closes by subtly making the same right hand motion into has jacket that Amanda did throughout the piece. I walked away thinking that even thought Tom is so convinced that he's become his father, there's a part of him that is decidedly his mother's.

I'll definitely try to see this one more time during the run as everyone settles into their roles further (accents will improve, hopefully).

[Kad]

Posted: 9/11/13 at 1:56pm

How could you not get any of the gay undertones? His short scene with Jim was rife with them. The way he spoke, held himself, touched him- it was very clear.

[TooManyLegs]

Posted: 9/11/13 at 2:03pm

I thought Cherry and Zachary were both terrific, and very believably mother and son (not in appearance, but in their reactions.) I loved the way they didn't feel compelled to maintain eye contact all the time—they both know exactly what the other's doing.

Was much less taken with Celia, who was much too normal and bland for my taste. I think Laura has some very real issues that keep her from succeeding; Celia's Laura seemed fairly capable and pretty. She seemed to be trying to underplay the limitations that Laura struggles against, and as a result came up with an interpretation that really kept me at a distance. To compare: her steady eye contact throughout the Gentleman Caller scene was so bold and direct that I didn't get a thrill out of Jim's gradually drawing her out. I also thought the lighting for that scene was too harsh—I prefer a little more warmth in my candlelit memories. (I liked Brian J. Smith OK, though preferred Michael Mosley in the Roundabout/Judith Ivey mounting. Yikes—did I just say I preferred something at Roundabout? Rare for me...)

I know my impressions don't jibe with a lot of this board. I think that's proof that acting remains a subjective art; others will probably feel that I just "didn't get it."

[BwayGeek2]

Posted: 9/11/13 at 2:09pm

How much were the student rush tickets? Dying to see this show!

[Kad]

Posted: 9/11/13 at 3:14pm

They're $35 and seem to generally be on the extreme sides of the orchestra.

[jaxandmci]

Posted: 9/11/13 at 4:54pm

I think many of the gay undertones posters are referring to are already inherent in the script. We keep hearing about all the nights Tom spends at the movies--all the LATE nights Tom spends at the movies. Yes, he is in all likelihood going to the movies but probably doing more there in the dark than just watching films. Dark theaters--and I'm not speaking from experience--were a common meeting place for gay men back in those days.

And yes, there was some gay going on in some of Tom's scenes but the question is, were they really directorial choices? Or simply a little bit of Quinto showing through?

[BwayTday]

Posted: 9/11/13 at 5:33pm

Tiffany overtly said Tom was gay in this production, so it's really directorial choices.

[PianoMann]

Posted: 9/11/13 at 7:32pm

Saw this show today with student rush tickets - arrived at 9:30 and there were approximately 15 people in line ahead of me. They're still selling the same extreme sides of the orchestra. I was in Orchestra Left, Row D, Seat 13, which was definitely partial view, but certainly not bad; I only missed the dining table chair that was most stage right, and the large piece of furniture behind the table (the armoire, if that is even what it is, I wouldn't know...)

As so many before me has said in this thread, I thought the show was beautiful executed. I was most impressed with the staging and the direction, both of which added so much to the material. The acting is also terrific - it was my first time seeing Cherry Jones on stage, and I was in awe. I, too, loved the subtle trembles of her hand, which to me added so much to the character. Quinto, Keenan-Bolger, and Smith are also doing great work.

I suppose my main issue with the production is the play itself, which has never a favorite of mine. Although I think the production elevates the material, sometimes taking it to beautiful places, there are still issues that remain.

Regardless, I would still recommend, it's a beautiful production that deserves great reception!

[perfectlymarvelous]

Posted: 9/11/13 at 11:32pm

I saw this tonight and adored it. For those wondering, I got to the box office at 12:45 and got tickets for the evening performance in row J of the orchestra, house right. We missed a few of Tom's narrations but for the most part could see everything quite well.

I have never been a huge fan of this play, but the production and the performances really elevate the material. I loved that the set gave the illusion that the apartment was floating in midair, and that when the characters exited they went below the stage rather than to the sides of it. I had never seen Cherry Jones onstage before and she was astounding in every way. I loved the other performances as well, I honestly couldn't even pick out a favorite of the four. As someone else pointed out, like Virginia Woolf in this theater before them, they work seamlessly together as an ensemble and there really is not one weak link. My one complaint is the text itself, which I don't hate but which has never really affected me before now. I feel like everyone else has said it better than I have, but it's a really stunning production in every aspect.

[mikem]

Posted: 9/12/13 at 6:23pm

Sorry if this has already been answered, but I didn't see it in this thread: Are they selling any merchandise yet?

[Kad]

Posted: 9/12/13 at 6:44pm

I recall seeing a shirt with a quote on it (forget which) and window cards.

[mikem]

Posted: 9/13/13 at 11:05am

Kad, thanks! I was able to get a windowcard.

SPOILERS BELOW


For those of you who have seen the show from the mezz, could you see their reflections when the actors would peer out over the black liquid? I sat mid-orch, and if I hadn't known about the liquid beforehand, I would not have noticed it and would not have known what they were doing. I'm not sure that it would be apparent even in the rear orchestra. The Booth seating is not that raked.

Updated On: 9/13/13 at 11:05 AM

[followspot]

Posted: 9/13/13 at 3:31pm

SET SPOILERS

The liquid blackness (what everyone is calling "water") is to give the image of the apartment being isolated from the world — from the mezzanine it looks as if the set is floating in nothingness. Objects at the edge of the set — most often actors looking out — are beautifully reflected — yet trapped, and there are periodic lighting effects illuminated within the blackness (stars and moon) that the characters react to.

[Owen22]

Posted: 9/13/13 at 8:15pm

I loved Cherry and Quinto (mostly) but didn't like Celia in the early part of the play. I thought, good. I'm safe now. As the ending of the Gentleman Caller and Laura scene kills me. KILLS me. But didn't she rise to the occasion finally and left me a mess.

I have to say Smith showed me colors in Jim I've never seen before. There was a desperation there, a need to be looked at, a need to be admired beneath the bluster. This is no mere All American Golden Boy Experiencing a Slight Setback. I actually felt as shaky for his future as the members of the Wingfield clan.

[jnb9872]

Posted: 9/14/13 at 5:16pm

It has been years since I first read MENAGERIE and I remember not taking to it with much passion so I had not re-visited it much, but the lure of a potentially great production always puts my past history with scripts aside. This production is astonishing. The concept and execution of the design was breathtaking to me; drawing on the liquid and nebulous nature of memory to physically strand the play and the characters in a moated island was the kind of bold choice that I think rewards through its commitment to itself. The aesthetic beauty of the lighting design was only enhanced by the gift that reflective lake offered the designer, and the actors used it to their best extent, too.

The actors; what can be said about Cherry Jones that hasn't already been said? I've seen her before, and honestly found her Amanda to be just as excellent as I'd expect. I was pleased to see Quinto more than up to the task of Tom, steadily handling his Broadway debut with the poise of a veteran, to my eyes. Brian J. Smith was new to me but will not be easily forgotten; his Gentleman Caller was a revelation and I found the whole extended scene in Act II to be a breathtaking master class in Acting for Two. And I must now speak of Celia Keenan-Bolger, who I have never seen better and was the true standout of this production to me. She devastated me, in a way I wasn't expecting the production to take me, and I'd easily call this the best work from her I've ever seen to date. The brief moment she had singing along with him was one of the most endearing (and ultimately tragic) little grace notes I've ever seen from an actor in NY. It was a perfect take on the whole scene, to my eyes, and the heart and soul of this brilliant revival.

[macnyc]

Posted: 9/15/13 at 8:15am

I loved the scene with Laura and Jim, and I enjoyed Celia's performance throughout. I have a question, though: What was the meaning of the odd hand and arm gestures she made when she was sitting on the sofa at one point? They were very slow and very deliberate, almost like tai chi.

[FindingNamo]

Posted: 9/15/13 at 10:38am

Maybe Celia's trying to prevent clots?

[everythingtaboo]

Posted: 9/15/13 at 3:05pm

Saw it yesterday afternoon. Loved it for all the reasons already mentioned. Did want to mention a horrifying/hysterical audience moment at the matinee, when Laura refers to her first love and goes to pull out the yearbook for the first time, you hear an older woman in the very front rows say, "Who? Who is it?" really nice an loud, then as someone tries to calm her down, she say it again ever louder. Gotta give it up to Celia and Cherry, who kept going with it. (

But as someone who was a Starcatcher the night Celia had to stop the show for a cell phone alarm going off, she probably thought it was nothing, comparatively.)

[sadephram]

Posted: 9/16/13 at 11:58am

To those who've seen the show, do you think row BB (second row in center section) would be too close ? I want to buy tickets but row A to J are premium...
Thanks !

[jaxandmci]

Posted: 9/16/13 at 12:08pm

sadephram: I sat in BB (left orchestra where it is front row) and didn't think it was too close at all. I could still see the reflections of the set in the "goo" and of course, I always love being up close and really being able to see the actors' expressions and other details of the production that you miss from afar.

[Patash]

Posted: 9/19/13 at 9:42am

I was just stunned by this production (perhaps the 25th or so production I've seen of The Glass Menagerie. Loved my seat front row mezzanine.

The most shocking thing was seeing the upstairs at least half empty on a Wednesday matinee. Such a great show and a great production -- oh wait a minute -- it's not a musical -- is that it?

I loved Tom -- he was such a "little boy" in a way, rolling on the sofa when his mother started picking at him -- I almost expected him to say "ah gee, mom". And loved that Amanda was not the often portrayed "shrew", but rather a mother who smothers her children with love. Cherry Jones was simply amazing.

[indytallguy]

Posted: 9/19/13 at 12:25pm

Yes, I loved the way Quinto had Tom say "yes, Mother" throughout the show. It had a very familiar quality to it just like a slightly exasperated little boy would use.

[StageStruckLad]

Posted: 9/19/13 at 2:33pm

Lovely production, and Cherry Jones is magnificent. I thought it was her best performance since The Heiress.

I was glad we were sitting close, but I do think we missed most of the effects with the black goo (or water or whatever it was).

POSSIBLE SPOILER ALERT I GUESS....

We were in the second row center, and at a few points a neon-outlined object rose up from the goo. I think it was supposed to be the top half of a crescent moon, so perhaps to audience members who were looking down at it the bottom half was reflected in the water and it looked like a moon. But for those of us sitting up close it looked for all the world like a shark fin emerging from the water. Not the effect I think they were going for. I'm kind of surprised that it was the work of Bob Crowley, whose work I have always adored.

Updated On: 9/19/13 at 02:33 PM

[FindingNamo]

Posted: 9/19/13 at 2:58pm

It's both.