1 Z ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT
I O April 12,2000 • the Seahawk
Play Review: “The Glass Menagerie” directed by Dr. Terry Rogers
by RACHEL S. CRUZ
Staff Writer
Opening night for UNCW’s interpre
tation of Tennessee Williams’ “The
Glass Menagerie” answered the call for
a quality, well-realized piece of work.
Th* technical elements support and help
to illustrate each line, as do the actors’
interpretations of the play. It is clear
that director Dr. Terry Rogers has a vi
sion, and sees to it that his cast and crew
make that happen.
Casting of this production is first-
rate. Senior McLean Alley, who plays
Tom, is an experienced actor, which is
evident through the entire show. His
character is fully realized and he cer
tainly experiments with it to produce a
powerful and resonant man of the 1940s.
Laura, who is played by freshman
Angie Peck, is a character that under
goes a specific change in the second act.
Going from shy and timid to a lively and
passionate Laura, Peck moves at just the
right speed and put her own flair into
the lines. She does an excellent job of
taking Laura through the fear and into
the enthusiasm she feels as the play
progresses.
Senior Carol Marie Smith plays
Tom’s mother, Amanda, the most promi
nent character, and she pulls it off quite
well. Her high-pitched Southern drawl
works well for the overbearing, set-in-
her-ways character.
Junior Matt Lutz fantastically plays
Jim, Tom’s hopelessly adorable friend.
Not introduced until the second act.
Lutz’s Jim brings enough energy and a
completeness of character to serve as a
catalyst for each character change that
follows. From his rate of speech down
to his posture, it is clear that Lutz has
enough experience and enthusiasm to
carry him far.
The set is fairly elaborate and pro
vided a beautiful picture of a 1940’s
apartment in the South. Portrayed as a
dining room and a sunken living room,
the authentic-looking set contains ele
ments that helped the purposeful block-
ing.
A dinner table, sofa and chair, where
most of the action takes place, is placed
before the backdrop of wooden walls, a
mirror and other furniture. Most of the
dialogue, which is often strained and
tense, occurs between Amanda and ei
ther Tom or Laura, with the three main
pieces of furniture operating as places
of refuge. Whether it is Tom pacing
from one end of the stage to the other
during Amanda’s bickering, only to col
lapse in frustration on the chair, or
Laura’s retreat to the sofa to avoid con
frontation, all the action is done quite
well. The strategic blocking gives the
audience the same feeling of monotony
and aggravation Tom and Laura felt.
Not until Amanda and Tom are on the
fire escape porch do we finally see the
fondness of their mother and son rela
tionship. It is also on this porch that
we see Tom’s vulnerability, his drunk
enness in an attempt to escape his un
adventurous life, and his deep feelings
for Laura at the last scene.
Likewise, Laura does not begin to
hold her head up confidently or even
smile until she is invited to sit on the
floor, away from the furniture, with Jim.
For this, the audience is able to see the
feelings Tom has for the apartment and
his dull lifestyle.
Effects with the costuming are also
achieved quite nicely. Done by designer
Alexandra Sargent, the costuming is just
as meaningful as the lines. Whether it
is Tom’s everyday, deliberately normal
slacks and shirts to illustrate his mun
dane attitude toward life, or Amanda’s
over-the-top, clearly out-dated dress to
show her need to continue to live in the
past, each article of clothing brings the
characters to life.
Knolu of an upcoming concert or euent? If so, contact fl&E
Editor Megan O’Brien at 962-7148 or e-mail her at
shkartsent@hotmail.com
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