Booked & Scene

Directed by Doug Lockwood, The Glass Menagerie at Gloucester Stage is one of those productions that lingers and stays with you long after you leave the theater. Tennessee Williams’ iconic “memory play” follows Tom Wingfield as he looks back on his life with his overbearing and at times annoying mother Amanda and his painfully shy and reserved sister Laura. The arrival of a “gentleman caller” one evening sets the show in motion unearthing hopes, dreams, and disappointments. What Lockwood does so well in this production is his ability to lean into the haziness of memory without letting anything feel vague or unsettled. The emotional stakes are crystal clear, and the cast delivers performances that match that vision in every way. 

“I’m the Narrator of the Play”: De’Lon Grant as Tom Wingfield

De’Lon Grant is so good in this role. What really stood out to me was how seamlessly he moved between the Tom who’s telling us the story, speaking directly to the audience with a kind of quiet intensity, and the Tom who’s reliving it all in real time. It’s a tough balance to pull off, but he never over does either side. His scenes with the rest of the cast crackle, especially the ones with Amanda (Adrianne Krstansky). You can feel the heat of years of frustration bubbling up. And then the shift when he’s with Laura (Liza Giangrande) is striking, suddenly you see the softness, the protectiveness, the guilt. De’Lon brings so much thought and care to this role. It never feels like he’s performing at you; it feels like he’s letting you in.

“Glass Breaks So Easily”: Liza Giangrande as Laura Wingfield

Liza Giangrande completely stole the show for me. From the moment she steps onstage, there’s something quietly captivating about her, and as Laura starts to open up, Liza just glows, literally, the highlight she has on in act 2 – I’d like to know where it’s from. Her performance is layered and subtle, the kind of thing that could easily be overlooked if she weren’t so completely in the moment. Her scenes with the glass animals are some of the most intimate in the show. You can see how much that little world means to her. And then, in Act 2, watching her slowly find some confidence in the scene with Jim, it’s such a vulnerable and full body transformation. There’s heartbreak there, yes, but also something quietly brave. Liza made me feel everything, and I won’t be forgetting her performance anytime soon. 

“Rise and Shine!”: Adrianne Krstansky as Amanda Wingfield

Adrianne Krstansky’s Amanda is instantly recognizable. Who doesn’t have a mother, or mother figure, that you sometimes want to just leave you alone? She’s funny and frustrating and, at times, so wildly, painfully familiar it hurts. I loved the humor she brought to the role, and how it didn’t undercut the depth of Amanda’s desperation to create a better life for her children. Her timing is spot-on, and her ability to shift tone mid-scene: one moment doting, the next controlling, the next genuinely heartbroken is impressive. What I appreciated most is that each of her relationships felt totally unique and specific to the character she was interacting with: the way she clings to Tom, smothers Laura, and performs for Jim shows you everything you need to know about who Amanda is. Adrianne walks that line between exasperating and endearing with real finesse.

“You’re a Very Peculiar Type of Young Man”: Patrick O’Konis as Jim

Patrick O’Konis brings exactly the kind of oddball charm that Jim needs. He’s got a sincerity that makes you understand why Amanda would pin so many hopes on him and why Laura would be so taken with him. His scenes in Act 2 are standouts. There’s a real sweetness to the way he speaks to Laura, and while we as the audience might clock what’s coming, he doesn’t play it like a setup. He really sees Laura, perhaps more than anyone else ever has, and Patrick delivers that recognition with a gentleness that made me ache for her. The scenes are full of tiny shifts, glances, small movements, brief pauses, loving looks, raw emotions, a quirky charm and a deep emotional connection to Laura, and he nails all of them. 

“All the World is Waiting for Sunrise”: Lighting, Scenic, and Prop Design

Amanda Fallon’s lighting design is one of the best parts of this production. There are moments where the light shifts and it feels like you’re watching memory flicker to life right in front of you. One moment that really stuck with me was the candlelight scene at the end of the show. The way the flame went out and the smoke rose just as the scene reached its emotional peak? Stunning. Flawless. Emme Shaw’s props and Jenna McFarland Lord’s scenic design work hand-in-hand to tell the story visually. I loved the contrast between the bare-bones look of Act 1 and the more fleshed-out set in Act 2. The choices were intentional, quiet, and powerful and truly felt in every way that they aligned with what director Doug Lockwood was wanting to do. 

“There Was a Trick That Went Wrong”: A Few Quibbles

There were just a couple things that didn’t quite land for me. Towards the end of Act 1, the sheer curtains were pulled across the sides of the audience, and while it created a cool effect, I was relieved to be sitting in the middle. If I’d been off to the side, watching through that veil might’ve been frustrating. I also found myself wishing for just one small glass animal in Act 1. The reveal in Act 2 is great, but a small visual clue early on could help ground the audience, especially for folks less familiar with the story or who don’t know the word menagerie. And a minor nitpick: when Tom refers to his father’s “smile” in a photo that clearly shows a very serious face with not even a glimpse of a smirk, it got an unintentional chuckle from me and my friend.

Final Thoughts: A Classic, Reimagined With Care

This production is something special:  it’s a thoughtful, emotionally rich take on a play that, when done well, can and does still hit hard. What I loved most was how well the actors shared the stage. No one tried to outshine anyone else. Instead, they gave space for each other to succeed. It felt like a true ensemble effort, and it paid off. The Glass Menagerie is running at Gloucester Stage through June 29, and I highly recommend grabbing a ticket if you can.

📸: Shawn G. Henry