The Glass Menagerie by the Wild Project
“I have tricks in my pocket—I have things up my sleeve—but I am the opposite of a stage magician. He gives you illusion that has the appearance of truth. I give you truth in the pleasant disguise of illusion”
With these opening lines, the audience is drawn into a dimly lit world of memory, where the truth of arduous family interactions are presented through an eerie dream.
The Wild Project welcomes the Halloween season this year with a disquieting new version of The Glass Menagerie. Ruth Stage presents the Tennessee Williams classic in a chilling, surrealistic and dreamlike world. Directors Austin Pendleton and Peter Bloch, following two critically acclaimed runs of The Wars of the Roses, direct this production which explores the notions of memory and fractured family relationships as Tom (Matt de Rogatis) relives his time in the Wingfield’s St Louis apartment, 1939, with his overbearing mother (Ginger Grace) and mentally fragile sister (Alexandra Rose).
Matt De Rogatis (who also played “Richard III” in The Wars of the Roses), effectively conveys Tom’s repressed torment and frustration under the burden of supporting an unappreciative family, as well as bringing to life Tom’s comedic and poetic sides. Ginger Grace brings to the stage an officious yet whimsical Amanda, who, through an intriguingly soft-spoken voice, becomes increasingly obsessed with her son’s every move, with finding her daughter a “gentleman caller,” and recollecting her past life as a Southern belle. And, in her professional theater debut as Laura, actress Alexandra Rose manages to capture the empathy of the audience with her vivid portrayal of the character’s utter lack of self-confidence. Spencer Scott plays a deceivingly charming Jim O’Conner whom the audience hope, as the long awaited gentleman caller, will save the Wingfield’s from their disastrous downwards spiral.
Set designer Jessie Bonaventure (assistant set designer on Hadestown) presents the Wingfield house through the lens of a nightmare, with grey furniture reminiscent of a haunted house, juxtaposed to Laura’s delicate collection of glass animals -- ever-present on stage. The element of the surreal and nightmare is further incorporated by the enormous black and white photo of the fifth character in the play, Tom and Laura’s father and Amanda’s husband, “a telephone man who fell in love with long distance” whose image grins almost grotesquely throughout. His absence is ominously ingrained in the minds of the audience just as it is in the characters. Steven Wolf creates the complementary dim lighting throughout and an entrancing candlelight scene between Laura and Jim in which the shadows of dread pervade the hints of romance.
Sean Haggerty writes the score taking inspiration from The Exorcist soundtrack to create a few moments of chilling suspense in collaboration with Jesse Meckl designing the sound.
There were moments when it seemed that opportunities to immerse more in the genre of horror and suspense were missed, when eeriness would build but then the path back towards naturalism was too abruptly taken. Nevertheless, the Wild Project brings a compelling take on the classic production whilst staying true to the perceptions of Williams, and manages to explore how surrealism and the nightmare form relate to how we may recreate and relive painful memories in our minds.
Tickets for this limited engagement run up to October 20th are available at Brown Paper Tickets at 1-800-838-300 or at www.theglassmenagerieplay.com
Photos provided by the Wild Project
The Angel Band Project with Norbert Leo Butz & Friends
On Monday, November 12th, The Angel Band Project hosted back-to-back sold-out concerts, dubbed "An Evening with Norbert Leo Butz & Friends - A Benefit to Support Survivors of Sexual Violence”, at 54 Below. The benefit concerts began with original songs by two-time Tony Winner Norbert Leo Butz and a heartfelt introduction from Law & Order SVU star Mariska Hargitay. Aaron Tveit, Jessie Mueller, Sherie Renee Scott, Lindsay Mendez, Rosanne Cash and John Leventhal also performed with musical direction by Michael Moritz, Jr. The night was sponsored by Rebecca, Hannah and Sarah Gang and White Honey. Survivors Hannah Tombley and Jennifer Hopper graced the stage, using their voices to share their survival stories.
All of the proceeds from the night benefitted The Angel Band Project, which provides music therapy to sexual assault survivors in New York, Seattle and St. Louis. The inspiration for the charity came from an unthinkable tragedy in 2009 in Seattle, WA when a man crept through an open window at the home of Teresa Butz and her partner, Jennifer Hopper raping and stabbing the women, Teresa fought back and according to police, her actions saved Jennifer’s life but cost her her own. After an emotional but musically-uplifting funeral service, lifelong best friends Rachel Ebeling and Jean Purcell got together with the idea of recording a CD in Teresa’s memory. Teresa’s brother Norbert Leo Butz and her surviving partner, Jennifer Hopper, joined their efforts. Their aim was simple: to capture the power in the music they heard to help others heal from the effects of sexual violence. “Take You With Me” was released in 2010 and since that time, the vision has expanded to use music therapy to directly impact the lives of survivors.
In 2014, The Angel Band Project created the groundbreaking music therapy program called Songs of Survival in St. Louis, MO. Where board-certified music therapists work with small groups of survivors as part of their healing process. In late 2016, the program expanded to include Seattle, WA, and in 2017, in collaboration with New York University’s Nordoff-Robbins Music Therapy Center, The Angel Band Project began serving survivors of sexual violence in the greater New York City area.
An Evening with Norbert Leo Butz & Friends was the first New York City fundraising effort for The Angel Band Project. All of the artists involved donated their time for this event and proceeds will be used to grow outreach efforts in the New York metro area.
“One in five women will be the victim of a sexual assault in her lifetime,” said Angel Band Project Executive Director and co-founder, Rachel Ebeling. “One of the biggest obstacles that victims of sexual assault encounter in the aftermath of being assaulted is the fear of being judged or not believed. A sense of isolation and blame is very common amongst victims of such violence. The Angel Band Project is here to show support, belief, and community for survivors. Until sexual violence is no longer tolerated, we walk in solidarity with survivors on their journey to healing.”
To learn more about The Angel Band Project visit AngelBandProject.org.
Photo Credit - Heidi Peters