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Curtain Calls

Review: 'The Glass Menagerie'
Drama comes calling at the Purple Rose

After a long string of slickly executed comedies, Chelsea's Purple Rose Theatre Company tossed caution to the wind and opened its 2005/06 season this past week with one of the granddaddies of the American theater: Tennessee Williams' classic drama, "The Glass Menagerie." It was a choice fraught with danger: Since nearly everyone from the Nederlander organization on down has learned the hard way that serious works don't sell very well these days, would the PRTC's traditional audience – trained to expect top quality comedies – show up for Williams' heavy, semiautobiographical tale? And since pretty much every adult in America has either read the script in English class or seen a production of it somewhere, is it possible for the PRTC to successfully overcome audience preconceptions of both the script and its very memorable characters?
It's a smart theater executive who understands that playing it safe does little to stretch the artistic legs of his theater company. So it was refreshing and fascinating to watch the PRTC tackle "The Glass Menagerie" – even more so since the production also marks Michelle DiDomenico's professional directing debut. It takes guts to begin your directorial career with such a well-known and revered classic, and for that alone DiDomenico deserves respect.
But what really matters, of course, is not DiDomenico's resume but her skills at translating Williams' complex, beautifully written characters from the printed page to the stage. As many experienced thespians have discovered over the years, there's nothing quite so challenging as crafting a good production of "The Glass Menagerie." Why settle for the subtleties in Williams' work when it's far easier to whisk William's three main characters – Amanda, Tom and Laura – immediately to their extremes and rarely deviate from them?
DiDomenico, thankfully, takes a different approach. Her quiet and almost underplayed concept almost feels oddly wrong at first. Yet as the show progresses, it begins to make total sense within the confines of the PRTC space. This is a close-up and personal look at the Wingfield family, and as such, the actors are allowed to breathe life into their multi-faceted characters at a more natural, realistic pace. The result, then, is a production in which the characters – and the audience – more fully experience the emotional highs and lows Williams built into his script. It's a treat that one does not always obtain in other productions.
Also somewhat disconcerting – but, again, only at first – is DiDomenico's casting. As the matriarch of the family, one might expect that Amanda should look the oldest, and Laura should appear young enough to be her daughter. Here, that's not quite the case with Michelle Mountain (Amanda) and Molly Thomas (Laura). And what complicates matters is this: Tom Whalen – who plays Amanda's son, Tom – is older than both Mountain and Thomas, yet – according to the script – he should be the youngest.
But since this IS a memory play, as Williams tells us during the play's opening moments, such casting "problems" don't really matter. For what we're watching is the older Tom who is stepping back in time to tell us his story, so why shouldn't some of his memories be somewhat distorted or inconsistent?
What ultimately DOES matter, of course, is the quality of acting. And each of DiDomenico's talented performers brings many fine "moments" to the show.
Mountain is delightful whenever Amanda drifts back to the past to recall the days when she received 17 gentleman callers. She's as equally disturbing when the former Southern Belle flies into a rage when she discovers the reason why Laura's visit from the gentleman caller will never be repeated.
Whalen's low-key, weight-of-the-world performance serves his character – and DiDomenico's concept – well, which makes his more humorous and dramatic scenes that much more potent. Tom's famous "I go to opium dens" monologue generates plenty of well-deserved laughs.
And Thomas, who plays Laura almost too flatly in the first act, is never better than in her powerful scene with Jim, her one-and-only gentleman caller (excellently played by Ryan Carlson). It's heart-wrenching to watch as Thomas skillfully brings Laura out of her shell, then later, retreats back into it when Jim explains why he can never visit her again.
That's what acting is all about!
"The Glass Menagerie" Staged Wed.-Sun. by the Purple Rose Theatre Company, 137 Park St., Chelsea, through Dec. 17. Tickets: $20-$35. For information: 734-433-7673 or http://www.purplerosetheatre.org.
The Bottom Line: Although the low-key approach to the Williams classic drama might take a while to warm up to, it certainly delivers in the second act!

Preview: 'Candy Corn, Christ and the Convoluted Creation of Golf'
Have a devil of a good time with Jesus and his 12 best friends

Don't look now, but Antonio David Garcia's humorous – but respectful – look at the life of Jesus and Apostles returns to the stage this week, but at a location that might seem a bit unusual.
"Candy Corn, Christ and the Convoluted Creation of Golf" makes a one-night only visit at Flint's Triangle Nightclub this Friday, Nov. 4 at 7:30 p.m. before moving back to the Buckham Alley Theatre Nov. 11 for a three-weekend run.
The full-length comedy, named one of the Top 10 Shows of 2004 by the Flint Journal and rated NFCF (Not for Christian Fundamentalists), is a fresh look at the New Testament story with several unique, fun-filled twists. The script for this run has been slightly tweaked by the playwright who also is back as the show's director.
One other change that returning audience members will immediately notice is a different actor in the role of toga-chasing Simon Peter: Garcia is content this go-round to staying behind the stage rather than standing in the spotlight. (His replacement has pretty big sandals to fill, however!)
"Candy Corn, Christ and the Convoluted Creation of Golf" open Fri., Nov. 4 at 7:30 p.m. at the Triangle Nightclub, 2101 S. Dort Highway, Flint. Tickets are $10, and patrons must be 18 or older to attend. Reservations can be made by calling 734-678-9947. The show then moves to Flint's Buckham Alley Theatre, 512 Buckham Alley, Nov. 11-12, 18-19 & 26-27. Call 810-239-4477 for details.

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