The Glass Menagerie Williams gave credit to two Chicago critics, Claudia Cassidy and Ashton Stevens, for "giving him a 'start...in a fashion'..." Cassidy wrote that the play had "the stamina of success ..." Stevens wrote that the play had "the courage of true poetry ..."
Autobiographical elements
The characters and story mimic Williams' own life more closely than any of his other works: Williams (whose real name was Thomas) closely resembles Tom, and his mother inspires Amanda. His sickly and mentally unstable older sister Rose provides the basis for the fragile Laura (who Jim remembers calling "Blue Roses", an affectionate nickname based on his mishearing of pleurosis, which she had in high school), though it has also been suggested that Laura may incorporate aspects of Williams himself, referencing his introverted nature and obsessive focus on just one aspect of life (writing for Williams and glass animals in Laura's case). Rose died in 1996.
Development
The play was reworked from one of Williams' short stories "Portrait of a Girl in Glass" (1943; published 1948).
Adaptations
Film
Two Hollywood film versions of The Glass Menagerie have been produced.
The first, released in 1950 and directed by Irving Rapper, stars Gertrude Lawrence (Amanda), Jane Wyman (Laura), Arthur Kennedy (Tom) and Kirk Douglas (Jim). Williams characterized this version, which had an implied happy ending grafted onto it in the style of American films from that era, as the worst adaptation of his work. Bosley Crowther of The New York Times wrote, "As much as we hate to say so, Miss Lawrence's performance does not compare with the tender and radiant creation of the late Laurette Taylor on the stage." The film has never been released on home media.
In 1987, a second adaptation was released, directed by Paul Newman and starring Joanne Woodward (Amanda), Karen Allen (Laura), John Malkovich (Tom) and James Naughton (Jim). If anything, this was even less well-received than the earlier film and sank without much attention. However, The New York Times reviewer noted it "starts stiffly and gets better as it goes along, with the dinner-party sequence its biggest success; in this highly charged situation, Miss Woodward's Amanda indeed seems to flower. But quiet reverence is its prevailing tone, and in the end, that seems thoroughly at odds with anything Williams ever intended." Similar to the earlier incarnation, it has yet to receive a physical media release. However, The Glass Menagerie (1987) is available to stream on non-subscription sites.
In 2004, an Indian adaptation of the play, filmed in the Malayalam language, was released, titled Akale (At a Distance). Directed by Shyamaprasad, the story is set in the southern Indian state of Kerala in the 1970s, in an Anglo-Indian/Latin Catholic household. The characters were renamed to fit context (the surname Wingfield was changed to D'Costa, reflecting the part-Portuguese heritage of the family — probably on the absent father's side, since the mother is Anglo-Indian), but the story remains essentially the same. It stars Prithviraj Sukumaran as Neil D'Costa (Tom Wingfield), Geethu Mohandas as Rosemary D'Costa (Laura Wingfield), Sheela as Margaret D'Costa (Amanda Wingfield) and Tom George Kolath as Freddy Evans (Jim O'Connor). Sheela won the National Film Award for Best Supporting Actress, and Geethu Mohandas won the Kerala State Film Award for the best actress.
The 2011 Iranian film Here Without Me is also an adaptation of the play, in a contemporary Iranian setting.
Radio
The first radio adaptation was performed on Theatre Guild on the Air in 1951 starring Helen Hayes as Amanda with Montgomery Clift as Tom, Kathryn Baird as Laura and Karl Malden as Jim.
A 1953 adaptation appeared on the radio series Best Plays starring Evelyn Varden as Amanda and Geraldine Page as Laura. Jane Wyman recreated her film portrayal of Laura for a 1954 adaptation on Lux Radio Theatre with Fay Bainter as Amanda and Frank Lovejoy as Tom and Tom Brown as Jim. The 1953 version is not known to survive but recordings of the other two are in circulation.
In 1964, Caedmon Records produced an LP version as the initial issue of its theatre series. The production starred Jessica Tandy as Amanda, Montgomery Clift as Tom, Julie Harris as Laura and David Wayne as the gentleman caller. The recording is now available in the form of an audio app.
In 2020, BBC Radio 3 adapted the play with Anastasia Hille as Amanda, George MacKay as Tom, Patsy Ferran as Laura, Sope Dirisu as Jim. This version is available on the BBC iPlayer.
Television
The first television version, recorded on videotape and starring Shirley Booth as Amanda, was broadcast on December 8, 1966, as part of CBS Playhouse. Barbara Loden played Laura, Hal Holbrook played Tom and Pat Hingle played the Gentleman Caller. Booth was nominated for an Emmy for her performance. The videotape, long thought to be lost, was reconstructed from unedited takes found in the archives of the University of Southern California and an audio recording of the original telecast. On December 8, 2016—fifty years to the day after the original telecast—a re-assembled version of the play was shown on TCM.
A second television adaptation was broadcast on ABC on December 16, 1973, starring Katharine Hepburn as Amanda, Sam Waterston as Tom, Joanna Miles as Laura and Michael Moriarty as Jim. It was directed by Anthony Harvey. (Tom's initial soliloquy is cut from this version; it opens with him walking alone in an alley, sitting on a rampart to read the newspaper and having his sister's and mother's voices conjure up the first domestic scene.) All four actors were nominated for Emmy Awards, with Moriarty and Miles winning.
Later stage productions
<!-- Deleted image removed: thumb|alt=Celia Keenan-Bolger (Laura) and Brian J. Smith (The Gentleman Caller).|Laura and The Gentleman Caller in the 2013 Broadway revival -->
The Glass Menagerie has had several Broadway revivals. Maureen Stapleton, Anne Pitoniak, Jessica Tandy, Julie Harris, Jessica Lange, Judith Ivey, Harriet Harris, Cherry Jones, Sally Field and Amy Adams have all portrayed Amanda Wingfield.
- The play had its London premiere at Theatre Royal Haymarket, beginning July 28, 1948 in a production directed by John Gielgud.
- Helen Hayes as Amanda Wingfield
- Frances Heflin as Laura Wingfield
- Phil Brown as Tom Wingfield
- Hugh McDermott as Jim O'Connor
- May 4 to October 2, 1965, at the Brooks Atkinson Theatre
- Maureen Stapleton as Amanda Wingfield
- Piper Laurie as Laura Wingfield
- George Grizzard as Tom Wingfield
- Pat Hingle as Jim O'Connor
- December 18, 1975, to February 22, 1976, at the Circle in the Square Theatre
- Maureen Stapleton as Amanda Wingfield
- Pamela Payton-Wright as Laura Wingfield
- Rip Torn as Tom Wingfield
- Paul Ryan Rudd as Jim O'Connor
- Previewed October 24, 1979, to November 21, 1979, at the Crucible Theatre, Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England; <br>November 21, 1979 to December 9, 1979, at the Round House Theatre, London
- Gloria Grahame as Amanda Wingfield
- Veronica Roberts as Laura Wingfield
- Clive Arrindell as Tom Wingfield
- Malcolm Ingram as Jim O'Connor
- December 1, 1983, to February 19, 1984, at the Eugene O'Neill Theatre
- Jessica Tandy as Amanda Wingfield
- Amanda Plummer as Laura Wingfield
- Bruce Davison as Tom Wingfield
- John Heard as Jim O'Connor
- 1989 at the Royal Exchange, Manchester directed by Ian Hastings
- Avril Elgar as Amanda Wingfield
- Geraldine Somerville as Laura Wingfield
- Linus Roache as Tom Wingfield
- November 15, 1994, to January 1, 1995, at Criterion Center Stage Right
- Julie Harris as Amanda Wingfield
- Calista Flockhart as Laura Wingfield (in her Broadway debut)
- Željko Ivanek as Tom Wingfield
- Kevin Kilner as Jim O'Connor
- September 7 - November 5 1995, at the Donmar Warehouse, produced by Sam Mendes
- Zoë Wanamaker as Amanda Wingfield
- Claire Skinner as Laura Wingfield
- Ben Chaplin as Tom Wingfield
- Mark Dexter as Jim O'Connor
- In 1997, Kiefer Sutherland returned to his theatrical roots, starring with his mother, Canadian actress Shirley Douglas, in a Canadian production of The Glass Menagerie at the Royal Alexandra Theatre in Toronto.
- March 22 to July 3, 2005, at the Ethel Barrymore Theatre
- Jessica Lange as Amanda Wingfield
- Sarah Paulson as Laura Wingfield
- Christian Slater as Tom Wingfield
- Josh Lucas as Jim O'Connor
- April 2008 at the Royal Exchange, Manchester directed by Braham Murray
- Brenda Blethyn as Amanda Wingfield
- Emma Hamilton as Laura Wingfield
- Mark Arends as Tom Wingfield
- Off-Broadway at the Roundabout Theatre Company, March 24 to June 13, 2010,
- Patch Darragh as Tom Wingfield
- Keira Keeley as Laura Wingfield
- Judith Ivey as Amanda Wingfield
- Michael Mosley as Jim O'Connor
- 2013 Broadway revival directed by John Tiffany. Previews began on September 5, & ran from September 26, 2013 – February 23, 2014 at the Booth Theatre, following an engagement at the American Repertory Theater. This production earned 7 Tony Award nods, including Best Revival of a Play, Best Actress in a Play (Jones), Best Featured Actor in a Play (Smith), and Best Featured Actress in a Play (Keenan-Bolger). and 3 Drama Desk Award nods, including Outstanding Featured Actor in a Play, Outstanding Featured Actress in a Play, and Outstanding Music in a Play (Nico Muhly).
- Cherry Jones as Amanda Wingfield
- Zachary Quinto as Tom Wingfield
- Celia Keenan-Bolger as Laura Wingfield
- Brian J. Smith as Jim O'Connor
- 26 January to 29 April 2017, at the Duke of York's Theatre, London
- Cherry Jones as Amanda Wingfield
- Kate O'Flynn as Laura Wingfield
- Michael Esper as Tom Wingfield
- Brian J. Smith as Jim O'Connor
- February 7 to May 21, 2017, at the Belasco Theatre, Broadway
- Sally Field as Amanda Wingfield
- Madison Ferris as Laura Wingfield
- Joe Mantello as Tom Wingfield
- Finn Wittrock as Jim O'Connor
- 23 May - 27 August 2022 at the Duke of York's Theatre, West End
- Amy Adams as Amanda Wingfield
- Tom Glynn-Carney as Tom Wingfield
- Lizzie Annis as Laura Wingfield
- Victor Alli as Jim O'Connor
- Paul Hilton as Narrator
- 28 February - 10 May 2025 at the Yard Theatre, London
- Sharon Small as Amanda Wingfield
- Tom Varey as Tom Wingfield
- Eva Morgan as Laura Wingfield
- Jad Sayegh as Jim O'Connor
Awards
Original Broadway Production (1945)
{| class="wikitable" width="95%"
|-
! width="5%"| Year
! width="20%"| Award Ceremony
! width="45%"| Category
! width="20%"| Nominee
! width="10%"| Result
|-
| align="center"|1945
| New York Drama Critic's Circle
| Best American Play
| Tennessee Williams
|
|}
1994 Broadway Revival
{| class="wikitable" width="95%"
|-
! width="5%"| Year
! width="20%"| Award Ceremony
! width="45%"| Category
! width="20%"| Nominee
! width="10%"| Result
|-
| rowspan="4" align="center"|1995
| Clarence Derwent Award
| Most Promising Female Performer
| Calista Flockhart
|
|-
| Drama Desk Award
| Outstanding Featured Actor in a Play
| Kevin Kilner
|
|-
| colspan="2" rowspan="2"|Theatre World Award
| Calista Flockhart
|
|-
| Kevin Kilner
|
|}
2013 Broadway Revival
{| class="wikitable" width="95%"
|-
! width="5%"| Year
! width="20%"| Award Ceremony
! width="45%"| Category
! width="20%"| Nominee
! width="10%"| Result
|-
| align="center" rowspan="15"|2014
| rowspan="3"|Drama Desk Award
| Outstanding Featured Actor in a Play
| Brian J. Smith
|
|-
| Outstanding Featured Actress in a Play
| Celia Keenan-Bolger
|
|-
| Outstanding Music in a Play
| Nico Muhly
|
|-
| Drama League Award
| colspan="2"|Distinguished Revival of a Play
|
|-
| rowspan="3"|Outer Critics Circle Award
| colspan="2"|Outstanding Revival of a Play
|
|-
| Outstanding Actress in a Play
| Cherry Jones
|
|-
| Outstanding Featured Actor in a Play
| Brian J. Smith
|
|-
| Theatre World Award
| Dorothy Loudon Award for Excellence in Theatre
| Celia Keenan-Bolger
|
|-
| rowspan="7"|Tony Award
| colspan="2"|Best Revival of a Play
|
|-
| Best Actress in a Play
| Cherry Jones
|
|-
| Best Featured Actor in a Play
| Brian J. Smith
|
|-
| Best Featured Actress in a Play
| Celia Keenan-Bolger
|
|-
| Best Direction of a Play
| John Tiffany
|
|-
| Best Lighting Design of a Play
| Natasha Katz
|
|-
| Best Scenic Design of a Play
| Bob Crowley
|
|}
2017 Broadway Revival
{| class="wikitable" width="95%"
|-
! width="5%"| Year
! width="20%"| Award Ceremony
! width="45%"| Category
! width="20%"| Nominee
! width="10%"| Result
|-
| align="center" rowspan="3"|2017
| Outer Critics Circle Award
| Outstanding Actress in a Play
| rowspan="3"|Sally Field
|
|-
|Drama League Award
|Distinguished Performance
|
|-
| Tony Award
| Best Actress in a Play
|
|-
|}
References
External links
- 1951 Theatre Guild on the Air radio adaptation at Internet Archive
- Museum of the City of New York – Theater still photos of the 1945 production of The Glass Menagerie
- Why Expressionism? "The Glass Menagerie": A Common Core Exemplar