Review: Theatrical Outfit’s ‘Glass Menagerie’ is an emotional rendition of an American classic

Matt Torney, artistic director of Theatrical Outfit, first saw Tennessee Williams’ The Glass Menagerie when he was a teenager growing up in Northern Ireland. His mother had taken on the character of Amanda Wingfield, and the play stuck with him. He credits this work and Arthur Miller’s Death of a Salesman for cultivating his love of American theater and eventually making him want to relocate to the States. 

Torney is now directing a version of The Glass Menagerie which kicks off the 49^th season for Theatrical Outfit. Running through November 23 at the Balzer Theater at Herren’s, it’s a solid and affecting production. 

The Glass Menagerie was Williams’ first play, debuting in 1944, and it packs the same punch today as when it was written. A memory play, it’s about the Wingfields of St. Louis, headed up by Amanda (Terry Burrell), who is trying to hold her family together. The father has left, and they are on their own, struggling to make ends meet. Both of Amanda’s children are in their early 20s. Her son, Tom (Stephen Ruffin), works at a shoe warehouse but wants to be a writer. He escapes to the movies after work every night, and Amanda cannot figure out why. She constantly needles him about it as well. 

Daughter Laura (Devon Hales) has been left with a limp after an illness growing up and suffers from shyness and an inferiority complex. Laura spends much of her time taking care of her glass animal collection. Amanda wants to find a husband for her daughter and is always after Tom to bring home a potential suitor for his sister. One night he does — he invites Jim O’Connor, aka The Gentleman Caller (Matt Mercurio), for dinner, not telling his co-worker about his mother’s ulterior motives. 

As a director here, Torney’s work is unrushed and natural, giving the actors plenty of room. Overall, the four-person cast — all of whom have appeared in previous Outfit productions — makes for a tight ensemble. 

Burrell has long been one of the city’s performing treasures, and her Amanda is mesmerizing. She can be flat out monstrous and biting at times, expecting more from her two children and never shy about telling them. Yet she deeply loves her family and wants the best for them. It’s a multi-layered performance. When Jim comes to visit, not knowing Laura is expecting him, the night is almost as much about Amanda — who is dressed regally — as it is about a possible courtship. Relishing her past as a Southern belle and recounting all the callers she herself used to have, Amanda is a woman who romanticizes her past and the memories it has provided her. 

Ruffin, a Theatrical Outfit vet with both Tiny Beautiful Things and A Raisin in the Sun under his belt, is memorable as well. The actor does a fine job in conveying Tom and his inner turmoil — and his ultimate dilemma about whether to escape from home and leave Laura behind.

Mercurio has a difficult task in not making the Gentleman Caller feel like a cad. He is kind and gentle and genuine in reconnecting with Laura — whom he has met before — but also not in a place where he can entertain another love interest. Mercurio handles the challenge admirably. 

Only Hales fails to impress. In spite of some strong moments, her Laura lacks the depth the character should have. 

This is a simple but effective production, with scenic design by the ubiquitous team of Isabel and Moriah Curley-Clay, highlighted with Laura’s titular glass menagerie and a backward (and symbolic) Paradise sign behind the action. 

Credit also goes to lighting designer Ben Rawson, who creates a lengthy and intimate candlelit scene between Laura and Jim. 

The Glass Menagerie was a deeply personal work for Williams. The playwright modeled Tom after himself and Amanda after his own mother. Laura, too, is based on his sister Rose, who was institutionalized, eventually having a lobotomy after being diagnosed with schizophrenia.  

Torney started his job with Theatrical Outfit around the time of COVID. It took a while for audiences to return to theaters and, as the company’s new public face, he didn’t get to directly engage with audiences the way he probably wanted to. Yet he’s certainly getting his due now, and it’s hard to ignore what he has brought to the company. 

For the last three seasons, Theatrical Outfit has produced a balance of world premieres and new takes on classics, including terrific versions of Nia Vardalos’ Tiny Beautiful Things, Edward Albee’s Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf and Sean Daniel’s The White Chip, a co-production with Dad’s Garage. Last season’s The Lehman Trilogy and Young John Lewis — both of which I unfortunately missed — were also well received and attended. 

The Glass Menagerie continues that impressive run, bringing both poetry and emotional heft to Tennessee Williams’ beloved work. It’s definitely worth seeing. 

Where & When 

The Glass Menagerie is at Theatrical Outfit through November 23 at the Balzer Theatre. Tickets start at $59 and must be purchased in person at the box office.
84 Luckie St. NW.

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Jim Farmer is the recipient of the 2022 National Arts and Entertainment Journalism Award for Best Theatre Feature and a nominee for Online Journalist of the Year. A member of five national critics’ organizations, he covers theater and film for ArtsATL. A graduate of the University of Georgia, he has written about the arts for 30-plus years. Jim is the festival director of Out on Film, Atlanta’s LGBTQ film festival, and lives in Avondale Estates with his husband, Craig.