By Aroush Maroof  

This past weekend, the Montevallo theater department debuted their first theatrical production of the semester: The Glass Menagerie. Written by Tennessee Williams in 1944. it tells the story of a family of three existing in a changing and tumultuous period during the 1930’s. It was directed by Marcus Lane, and starred Tyler Rice, Jazmin Miller, Erin Duncan, and Romeo Grant. 

The story follows Tom Wingfield, played by Tyler Rice, as the main breadwinner for his family after his father leaves them. It explores memories from Tom’s life living in a cramped apartment with his mother and sister leading up to his decision to leave them too. The story explores ideas of turbulent change taking a toll on people stuck in the past and the disparities between gender roles. 

The two male leads, Tyler Rice and Romeo Grant, exhibited incredible comedic timing which brought a lighthearted yet bittersweet layer to the heart wrenching ending as well as a cruel irony. Jazmin Miller played Amanda, the overbearing mother of Tom, who despite a few slipped up lines brought a nuance to her character and was able to adequately express the love and fear motivating her throughout the story. Her pain and uncertainty in a changing time was shown through action she took at the expense of Tom which inevitably added to the pain and betrayal the audience feels at the end of the story. Erin Duncan’s portrayal of Laura, the shy and timid sister of Tom, also enhanced the emotional whiplash with the contrasting energies of Rice and Duncans’ performances. 

The production took place in the Michael and Sue Meadows Black Box Theatre within the Song Center. The black box provided a closer intimate setting and allowed the audience to truly become a part of the story. It also allowed for a closer view of the set and props. Aside from the balloon animals, a hat, some chewing gum, a newspaper (represented by The Alabamian!), and a few sparingly placed items, there was a lack of physical props. The removal of most props seemed to express the desperation and lack of means the family had. Music and sound design followed a similar pattern of being used sparingly which also amplified the importance of the changing scenes as well as serving a thematic example of escapism for Tom.  

This element of escapism was also present through the set design which consisted of a back wall with windows and a scaffolding structure standing in as a fire escape. Although a bit on the nose, the fire escape was a stand-in for his desire to escape from the apartment. Tom is the only character who uses the scaffolding until the end when he decides to leave, Laura steps and takes his place on the fire escape. The escape is also a stand-in for the absurdity and double standard of expectation Tom holds for his own freedom, as he is the only character in his family to have a place of his own with items and means of pleasure and entertainment. The only physical thing the female characters have as their own are memories of the past such as Amanda’s costume change and Laura’s yearbook, as well as the titular glass menagerie. Her collection of glass animals is her only passion in life which is also ultimately destroyed by Tom and Jim.  

The lighting and blocking enhanced these elements with subtle visual plays often unnoticed at first. An example is the almost constantly lit up portrait of their father coming and going as a continuous reminder of who first put them in this situation. This looming image paired with the scenes of conflict following the characters slowly spiraling in on one another add to the slowly brewing conflict. 

My only complaints were the screens behind the windows. I believe they weren’t utilized to their full potential and often cheapened the look of the rest of the set. I also wish costuming was able to do more. I understand the effect was to show the scarcity the family was experiencing but a single costume change consisting of a different colored jacket for Tom could have expressed a change in time from the initial introduction as a narrator to an active character in the story as a younger man. Every other technical and performative aspect was able to work together brilliantly and make this show an enjoyable and emotional experience.