The Glass Menagerie.docx
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The Glass Menagerie.docx
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TheGlassMenagerie
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.”
CHARACTERS
AMANDAWINGFIELD[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.
PRODUCTIONNOTES
Beinga‘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.
THESCREENDEVICE
ThereisonlyoneimportantdifferencebetweentheoriginalandactingversionoftheplayandthatistheomissioninthelatterofthedevicewhichItentativelyincludedinmyoriginalscript.Thisdevicewastheuseofascreenonwhichwereprojectedmagic-lanternslidesbearingimagesortitles.IdonotregrettheomissionofthisdevicefromthepresentBroadwayproduction.TheextraordinarypowerofMissTaylor’sperformancemadeitsuitabletohavetheutmostsimplicityinthephysicalproduction.But1thinkitmaybeinterestingtosomereaderstoseehowthisdevicewasconceived.SoIamputtingitintothepublishedmanuscript.Theseimagesandlegends,projectedfrombehind,werecastonasectionofwallbetweenthefrontroomandthedining-roomareas,whichshouldbeindistinguishablefromtherestwhennotinuse.
Thepurposeofthiswillprobablybeapparent.Itistogiveaccenttocertainvaluesineachscene.Eachscenecontainsaparticularpoint(orseveral)whichisstructurallythemostimportant.Inanepisodicplay,suchasthis,thebasicstructureornarrativelinemaybeobscuredfromtheaudience;theeffectmayseemfragmentaryratherthanarchitectural.Thismaynotbethefaultoftheplaysomuchasalackofattentionintheaudience.Thelegendorimageuponthescreenwillstrengthentheeffectofwhatismerelyillusioninthewritingandallowtheprimarypointtobemademoresimplyandlightlythaniftheentireresponsibilitywereonthespokenlines.Asidefromthisstructuralvalue,Ithinkthescreenwillhaveadefiniteemotionalappeal,lessdefinablebutjustasimportant.Animaginativeproducerordirectormayinventmanyotherusesforthisdevicethanthoseindicatedinthepresentscript.Infactthepossibilitiesofthedeviceseemmuchlargertomethantheinstanceofthisplaycanpossiblyutilize.
THEMUSIC
Anotherextra-literaryaccentinthisplayisprovidedbytheuseofmusic.Asinglerecurringtune,‘TheGlassMenagerie,’isusedtogiveemotionalemphasistosuitablepassages.Thistuneislikecircusmusic,notwhenyouareonthegroundsorintheimmediatevicinityoftheparade,butwhenyouareatsomedistanceandverylikelythinkingofsomethingelse.Itseemsunderthosecircumstancestocontinuealmostinterminablyanditweavesinandoutofyourpreoccupiedconsciousness;thenitisthelightest,mostdelicatemusicintheworldandperhapsthesaddest.Itexpressesthesurfacevivacityoflifewiththeunderlyingstrainofimmutableandinexpressiblesorrow.Whenyoulookatapieceofdelicatelyspunglassyouthinkoftwothings:
howbeautifulitisandhoweasilyitcanbebroken.Bothofthoseideasshouldbewovenintotherecurringtune,whichdipsinandoutoftheplayasifitwerecarriedonawindthatchanges.Itservesasathreadofconnexionandallusionbetweenthenarratorwithhisseparatepointintimeandspaceandthesubjectofhisstory.Betweeneachepisodeitreturnsasreferencetotheemotion,nostalgia,whichisthefirstconditionoftheplay.ItisprimarilyLAURA’smusicandthereforecomesoutmostclearlywhentheplayfocusesuponherandthelovelyfragilityofglasswhichisherimage.
THELIGHTING
Thelightingintheplayisnotrealistic.Inkeepingwiththeatmosphereofmemory,thestageisdim.Shaftsoflightarefocusedonselectedareasoractors,sometimesincontradistinctiontowhatistheapparentcentre.Forinstance,inthequarrelscenebetweenTOMandAMANDA,inwhichLAURAhasnoactivepart,theclearestpooloflightisonherfigure.Thisisalsotrueofthesupperscene,whenhersilentfigureonthesofashouldremainthevisualcentre.ThelightuponLAURAshouldbedistinctfromtheothers,havingapeculiarpristineclaritysuchaslightusedinearlyreligiousportraitsoffemalesaintsormadonnas.Acertaincorrespondencetolightinreligiouspaintings,suchasElGreco’s,wherethefiguresareradiantinatmospherethatisrelativelydusky,couldbeeffectivelyusedthroughouttheplay.[Itwillalsopermitamoreeffectiveuseofthescreen.]Afree,imaginativeuseoflightcanbeofenormousvalueingivingamobile,plasticqualitytoplaysofamoreorlessstaticnature.
T.W.
Scene:
AnalleyinStLouis
PART1:
PreparationforaGentlemanCaller(scenes1-5)
PART2:
TheGentlemanCalls(scenes6-7)
Time:
NowandthePast
SceneI
TheWingfieldapartmentisintherearofthebuilding,o
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