Talented Cast and Crew, but Plagued with Distractions By Ryan LaPointe

Talented Cast and Crew, but Plagued with Distractions By Ryan LaPointe

Brian Mertes' take on The Glass Menagerie proved a little hard to follow, but the talent of the actors and crew was undeniable.  We saw this production on Wednesday, March 11, at Trinity Rep's Chace Theater in Providence, Rhode Island.  The show was directed by Brian Mertes, with musician Phillip Roebuck and actors Brian McEleney, Anne Scurria, Mia Ellis, and Dennis Kozee.

The Glass Menagerie is a memory play, drawn from the memories of Tom Wingfield, who is both the narrator and a character in the play.  The play revolves around the struggles of Tom's family leading up to Tom's inevitable flight, leaving behind the troubles and following in the footsteps of his father.

The venue contains a single curved, steeply sloped bank of seating looking down onto the floor for the performers.  The Glass Menagerie was performed on a raised deck which was constructed on this floor.  In the Chace Theater, nothing was hidden from the audience's view.  The deck on which the performance occurred was surrounded by various props and pieces of furniture which the actors would use during the course of the performance.  The stage crew made no effort to hide themselves, working right alongside the actors currently performing, and once even handing objects to the actor currently speaking.  Other crew members could be seen throughout the show sitting at a table with several computer monitors and other tech, placed behind the deck but well within the sight of the audience.  The musician for the show was always visible while playing, and at one point even went onto the deck and interacted with the actors while playing the guitar accompaniment.

The technical aspects of the performance were executed superbly.  The lighting looked fantastic, and the sound effects sometimes made me feel true dread. The members of the crew were always in sync with each other, and the sound, lights, and set changes were coordinated to the highest degree.  Many times, sound effects were synchronized with actual sounds to produce one seamless effect.

Throughout the play, there were many times when secondary actions were occurring onstage that distracted from the primary plot.  Due to these frequent distractions, I found that I had to concentrate to keep myself focused on following the main plot of the play. With mild effort, I was able to stay focused and aware of what was happening in the central plot of the show, unlike some of my friends, who became distracted and confused at times.

While there may have been shortcomings in terms of the choices made by the show's director, the acting was fantastic.  I was immediately impressed by Brian McEleney, who played Tom Wingfield, the narrator, and kicked off the performance by speaking directly to the audience, with an in-character introduction to the background and characters of the play.  I was also especially absorbed by the performance of Anne Scurria, who played the narrator's mother, Amanda Wingfield.

Overall, I highly enjoyed this performance of The Glass Menagerie, despite the frequent distractions and the play's heavy subject matter.  I would recommend it to anyone who is willing to spend some effort to keep their attention from going astray.