"The Glass Menagerie" by Theater Latte Da at the Ritz Theater

Every now and then, Theater Latte Da ("we don't do musical theater we do theater musically") tries their hand to a play (e.g., their 2024 production of Stones in His Pockets). This season, Artistic Director Justin Lucero has chosen Tennessee Williams' tragically beautiful and beautifully tragic play The Glass Menagerie (which happens to be one of my favorite plays). Thankfully, Latte Da has not turned The Glass Menagerie into a musical, but they have subtly infused it with music via live underscoring, as well as live video projections from onstage cameras. The result is perhaps the best realization of Williams' quintessential (and semi-autobiographical) memory play that I've seen. It's dreamy, and cinematic, and intimate, and nostalgic, and heartachingly beautiful. The innovative and risk-taking concept is gorgeously executed by the entire team, with a cast that is simply perfection. Pay a call to the Wingfields now through March 1; you won't be disappointed, but you may feel pleasantly melancholic after the visit.
UPDATE: extended through March 8!

"The Glass Menagerie" at the Guthrie Theater

Long before I became a Twin Cities Theater Blogger, I became a Guthrie season subscriber. The decision to accept that telephone offer to see five shows for $100 changed my life. As a Guthrie subscriber, I began to see more than just the touring musicals and an occasional local show. I started to know and follow the local community of theater artists, I was introduced to other local theaters. The more local theater I saw, the more I found to see, and it continued to snowball until I just had to start writing about it. I'm now entering my 17th season as a Guthrie subscriber, and my 10th season as a #TCTheater blogger. How fitting to begin this milestone year with one of my favorite playwrights and one of my favorite plays. I first saw The Glass Menagerie at the Guthrie in 2007 (not counting when my high school did it), first wrote about it in 2010 at the Jungle, shortly after I started blogging, and have seen and written about it multiple times since. The Guthrie's new production, directed by Artistic Director Joseph Haj, is just as lovely, sad, and wistful as any I've seen.

"The Glass Menagerie" by Theatre Coup d'Etat at SPACE

Tennessee Williams is one of my favorite playwrights, and all I ask of a production of one of his plays is that it leave me with that feeling of delicious melancholy. Theatre Coup d'Etat's production of The Glass Menagerie, my favorite Williams play, did just that. As I drove home last night and saw the big moon hanging heavy in the sky, I sighed and made a wish for something that would never come true. Just like the characters in Menagerie, Williams most personal play. Theatre Coup d'Etat's interesting staging with appropriate mood lighting and music really makes it feel like you're looking in on Tom's (aka Williams') memories of his family. Which is always a beautifully tragic rumination on the past, how memory works, and how the choices we've made continue to affect us.

"The Glass Menagerie" at Lyric Arts

Tennessee Williams is one of America's greatest playwrights, and his most auto-biographical play, The Glass Menagerie, is an American classic and one of my favorite plays. All of William's plays are beautifully tragic, and this story of a fading Southern belle and her two misfit children is no exception. Lyric Arts in Anoka is opening their 2014-2015 season with this classic, and it's a fine production, although it didn't quite touch me as deeply as others have in the past. They played up the comedy a little too much for my taste; while there are some great one-liners, I like my Tennessee Williams dark and gloomy. Still, the cast does a fine job, and there are some wonderful musical effects and an interesting use of video projections. And The Glass Menagerie is always a play worth seeing, with it's stark and tragic beauty.

The Glass Menagerie is a "memory play," in which Tom (a stand-in for Williams himself) is a character in the play and also narrates from some time in the future. The play is therefore cast in nostalgia, wistfulness, and regret. The aforementioned fading Southern belle is Amanda Wingfield, one of Williams' best characters. She lives with her two adult children in a small apartment in St. Louis in the late 1930s. Tom dutifully supports the family by working at a shoe factory, where he feels stifled and bored with life. Laura has a slight physical impairment that has caused her to become reclusive, wanting nothing more than to stay in the apartment, listen to records on the Victrola, and arrange her glass figurines, her menagerie. Amanda is constantly nagging her children - telling Tom how to chew his food and how to sit at the table, cajoling Laura into leaving the house to attend business school or entertain a "gentleman caller." Because she's unhappy with the way her life turned out (her charming grinning husband left her with two children to raise), she talks constantly of her glorious past and happy youth. She wants Laura to be as popular as she was, but Laura is nothing like her, and the time and place in which they live is nothing like the one in which she came of age. When a gentleman caller finally arrives, "the long-delayed but always expected something that we live for," there is hope for a moment. But the experiment fails miserably, Tom leaves the family to find his fortune in the world, and Laura is left with her glass menagerie. Part of the tragedy is that Amanda really does want her children to be happy and successful, as she wishes on the moon, but she has no idea how to help them achieve that in this modern, Northern, and utterly foreign world.

Tom (Ty Hudson) and Laura (Samantha Haeli)

The Wingfield home is sparsely furnished, with just a hint of the outer walls and terrace where the family goes to smoke and gaze at the moon. Melancholy music plays at just the right moments, as Tom's narration makes you feel like you're peeking into a faded photo album of days long past. The video projections play on four broken pieces hanging above the stage, like the Wingfiends' broken lives. I'm not sure it's entirely necessary to see a candle flame or blue roses when such things are mentioned, but the effect is relatively subtle. The most successful is the photo of the long gone Mr. Wingfield, whose handsome grinning face hangs eerily over the family. As Amanda, Patti J. Hynes-McCarthy is fluttery and flustered and never stops moving, which is just how Amanda should be. Ty Hudson's Tom is boisterous and angry, outwardly expressing his frustrations with the situation. Samantha Haeli has the physical limp, hesitant voice, and lack of selficonfidence that is Laura, and also shows her beginning to open up in her own awkward way. Finally, as that all important gentleman caller, Randy Niles portrays All-American charm and confidence (not unlike his character in Picnic), a stark contrast to the rest of the family.

The Glass Menagerie continues through September 21, with discount tickets available on Goldstar.

"The Glass Menagerie" at Yellow Tree Theatre

The Glass Menagerie is the final play in Yellow Tree Theatre's fourth season, and it's a great conclusion to an entertaining season. Written by one of the greatest American playwrights (and one of my favorites), Tennessee Williams, this play is a nice choice for Yellow Tree and fits their intimate style and space very well. The Wingfield family's dysfunctions feel very real and close as you sit just a few feet away from the action. The Glass Menagerie has long been one of my favorite plays. It's a self-described "memory play" in which one of the main characters, Tom, introduces and narrates the action, as well as taking part in it. He has several soliloquies, filled with such beautiful language: "Yes, I have tricks in my pockets, 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." Such is theater - truth in the disguise of illusion. Of all Williams' plays, this is the one that contains the most truths about his life and his past. Perhaps that's why it's so bittersweet.

A mother and her two adult children live in a small apartment in St. Louis in the late 1930s. Tom dutifully supports the family by working at a shoe factory, where he feels stifled and bored with life. Laura has a slight physical impairment that has caused her to become reclusive, wanting nothing more than to stay in the apartment, listen to records on the Victrola, and arrange her glass figurines, her menagerie. Their mother, Amanda, is constantly nagging her children - telling Tom how to chew his food and how to sit at the table, cajoling Laura into leaving the house to attend business school or entertain a "gentleman caller." She's a stereotypical fading Southern belle, who talks constantly of her glorious past and happy youth; she performs a memory play of her own for her children. She wants Laura to be as popular as she was, but Laura is nothing like her, and the time and place they live in is nothing like the one in which she came of age. The situation turns tragic as the gentleman caller experiment fails miserably, Tom leaves the family to find his fortune in the world, and Laura is left with her glass menagerie.

Tom (Jason Peterson) and his mother (Katherine Ferrand);
the looks say it all

Noted Twin Cities director Jon Cranney brings out the best in this fantastic four-person cast. Katherine Ferrand plays Amanda Wingfield, one of the greatest roles in American theater, and she knocks it out of the park. She's always talking, always fluttering about, telling endless stories, with lots of energy hiding a deep sense of desperation (like many of Williams' women). Katherine's sharp performance alone is worth the trip to Osseo! Yellow Tree Artistic Director Jason Peterson plays Tom, another great role. He speaks in memory-tinged melancholy as he narrates the scenes, with quietly controlled anger and restlessness in the scenes with his family. I was curious to see Carolyn Trapskin as Laura because her previous roles at Yellow Tree have been so crazy and over-the-top; this is a much more internal character than I've seen her play before, and she does it very well. Laura always breaks my heart, perhaps because I find myself relating to her, and this production is no exception. Finally, Josef Buchel is everything you want the gentleman caller to be - bright and charming, friendly and talkative with everyone he meets, but hiding an insecurity and uncertainty with life. Part of the tragedy is that Jim and Laura really do get along well, and she's able to open up to him somewhat, making them (and us) believe that things could have gone differently if the situation were different. But there are no happy endings with Tennessee Williams, only deep explorations of family, relationships, and societal bonds.

Laura (Carolyn Trapskin)
and her gentleman caller (Josef Buchel)

The stage at Yellow Tree is tiny, but they always seem to transform it into what's needed. This time the set (by Jeffrey Petersen) is a somewhat shabby but homey little apartment, with sloping wood floors and a small dining room separated by a curtain from the main living area, sparsely decorated with photos and mementos. I don't usually comment on (or notice) the lighting, but the candlelight scenes with Jim and Laura were beautifully done (lighting by Paola Rodriguez); it felt as if we were watching an intimate moment play out in the soft glow of candles.

Yellow Tree Theatre has recently announced their new season and it looks like another great one. I'm most excited to see Circle Mirror Transformation, a great character piece I saw at the Guthrie studio a few years ago which should be a great fit for Yellow Tree - intimate, funny, poignant, and full of awkward pauses and weird acting class exercises. And of course, nothing piques my interest like the words "new original musical," especially when the authors are one of my favorite local musicians, Blake Thomas, along with great Yellow Tree actors Mary Fox and Andy Frye. So if you missed out on this production (only two more performances, sorry for the late review), you have some great choices next season to visit Yellow Tree Theatre in charming Osseo, where good stories live.

My Top Ten Shows of 2010

I attended 72 events in 2010, a significant increase from last year’s total of 48. Appropriate that this is the year I started this blog! Although it’s a bit of a chicken/egg situation; I’m trying to attend more theater (especially new-to-me local theaters) to make this blog more diverse. Of the 72 events, 27 were musicals, 20 were plays, 22 were concerts, and 3 were other events (such as awards or galas). Included in the 47 plays/musicals were 10 in New York City (I visited the city three times this year, also a record high!). The 37 local shows were at 18 different theaters in Minneapolis, St. Paul, and the suburbs, ranging in size from the 40-seat Dreamland Arts on Hamline Ave. in St. Paul to the 2500-seat Orpheum Theatre on Hennepin Ave. in downtown Minneapolis. The 37 shows are actually comprised of 36 different productions since there was one I saw twice (see below to find out which one). I picked out ten memorable shows from these 36. They’re listed below in chronological order, NOT in rank order (it’s hard enough for me to limit it to ten, much less rank them).

1.  As you can read in the “About Me” section on the right-hand side of this page, RENT is my favorite musical. Before this year, I had seen it 11 times, once on Broadway and 10 times on tour, including last year’s tour with Anthony Rapp and Adam Pascal, who created the roles of Mark and Roger back in 1996. Every time is new and different because the cast is different and they bring something new to the piece. But it’s also become very familiar; I know what the set and costumes are going to look like, and who’s going to move where across the stage at what point in their song. So I was really excited when I heard there was going to be a local production at the Lab Theater in Minneapolis, featuring a local cast. It’s a great venue for a show like RENT; an old warehouse with exposed brick walls, the seats very close to and level with the stage. Everything about the show felt new, from the set, to the way the characters moved around it, to the costumes, to the interpretations of the familiar and beloved characters by the amazing cast (led by Reid Harmsen as Mark and Harley Wood, of local band Far from Falling, as Roger). A brand new version of a beloved classic, and I loved it.

2. The Guthrie Theater’s production of Macbeth was a bloody, violent, spectacle of a show, and I loved it. I’m not usually a big fan of fight scenes in movies, but when it’s on stage, it’s as intricately choreographed as a dance and often as graceful. Add to that a condensed version of Shakespeare’s classic story of a man who will do whatever it takes to become king, even if he regrets it later; a powerful performance by a magnificently bearded Erik Heger as Macbeth leading the large talented cast; and the Guthrie’s usual incomparable production value, and you have a great two hours of theater.

3. Theater Latte Da’s production of the musical Violet is the show I loved so much I saw it twice. Theater Latte Da can do no wrong in my book; I love the art form of musical theater and so does Latte Da; they make musicals that push beyond the definition of what we think musicals are. They had a very successful run with the large-scale Evita this fall, but I loved their spring show best – the quiet, intimate, moving story of a young woman on a journey to face her past, heal her wounds, and move forward with her life. With a top-notch cast featuring Latte Da favorites (Dieter Bierbrauer as Violet’s father and Randy Schmeling as Monty) and newcomers (Britta Ollmann as Violet, Azudi Onyejekwe as Flick, and teenage wonder Maeve Moynihan as the young Violet), a sparse but rich-sounding three-piece orchestra, and an intimate space in the Guthrie Dowling Studio, I easily could have seen it three or four times.

4. Technically, Brief Encounter is not a local production. It’s a touring show out of the Kneehigh Theatre in Cornwall, England, that’s currently playing on Broadway (where I saw it again in October, basically the same show with just a few cast changes). But I’m including it because it was part of the Guthrie season and only made limited stops in the US. I don't know how to begin to describe this show. It’s a perfectly lovely and unique evening of theater that uses song, film, and movement to tell the story of the 1945 Noel Coward film of the same name about star-crossed lovers who are married to other people. It’s quirky, funny, silly, and absolutely heart-breaking. It’s unlike anything I’ve ever seen, and I expect the Tony voters will agree come next June.

*It’s worth nothing that the above three shows were playing at the Guthrie at the same time in February/March of this year. I remember sitting in the Dowling Studio on the 9th floor, waiting for Violet to start, thinking about how a few floors below me Macbeth and Brief Encounter were occurring on the Wurtele Thrust and McGuire Proscenium Stages. Three such completely different shows, all truly entertaining in their own unique way. That’s why I love the Guthrie.

5. I’ve been hearing about Ten Thousand Things Theatre for a few years and was intrigued by the idea: theater that travels to prisons, homeless shelters, and other locations to reach the less fortunate among us who don’t typically have a chance to experience theater. And they get some of the top talent in the Twin Cities. I don’t know why it took me so long to finally attend a show, but after seeing My Fair Lady in a large empty fully-lit room at the MN Opera Center, I’m hooked and am now a season ticket holder. Ten Thousand Things performs the paid public version of their show the same way they do it on location: small cast, minimal to no sets, simple costumes, and full lights, with the audience sitting in a few rows surrounding the performance area. It’s theater unlike I’ve ever seen it: sparse, sharp, and with nothing to distract you from the work. It’s truly remarkable. In My Fair Lady, the music took a back seat to the story of a woman from the streets trying to make it in “society,” and all the gender and class issues that go along with it. Kate Eifrig gave a gutsy performance as Eliza, and Steve Hendrickson was her elegant but emotionally reserved Henry Higgins. Some of the songs were spoken which gave more focus to the words. The one exception was when Bradley Greenwald, a member of the ensemble who played several parts, sang “On the Street Where You Live.” He has an amazing operatic voice and he absolutely killed the song. With minimal accompaniment, his voice filled the room and gave me chills. Ten Thousand Things is bare bones theater, and it’s breathtaking.

6. This summer’s Circle Mirror Transformation was a Guthrie production but not part of the Guthrie season. It told the story of a Saturday acting class in the fictional small town of Shirley, Vermont. Full of awkward pauses and odd exercises, it felt like I was spying on this class and getting to know and love the five participants and their complicated lives. This small, intimate production in the Dowling Studio also seemed to be a favorite of actors; I spotted three of them in the audience (and even got to ride the elevator down to the first floor stage door with two of them!). There was nothing really remarkable about this show, just a quiet, real, completely satisfying exploration of five intersecting lives.

7. Another part of the Guthrie season that’s not technically a Guthrie production, Scottsboro Boys is the final musical by John Kander and the late Fred Ebb (composers of classics such as Cabaret and Chicago). Following a successful run Off-Broadway earlier this year, Scottsboro Boys moved to the Guthrie this summer in preparation for its opening on Broadway this fall. The excellent cast was intact with one exception: local actor David Anthony Brinkley filled in for John Cullum (aka Holling Vincoeur from my favorite TV show Northern Exposure). Employing a traditional minstrel style, the musical tells the true story of nine young black men who were accused of raping two white women in 1931 in Scottsboro, Alabama, and the miscarriage of justice that ensues. As you can tell from the subject matter, it’s not a light and easy musical. At times difficult to watch, but with the amazing music and choreography you’d expect from a Kander and Ebb show, it deals with some serious issues of racism and justice that we’re still dealing with in this country today. I wish there were more musicals like this, forcing us to look at our world in a new way through the medium of song and dance. Apparently it’s too raw and real for the mainstream theater-going public to deal with, because the show recently closed after a run on Broadway of less than two months. The producers are hoping for a spring revival in time for the Tonys, at which it’s sure to be well-represented.

8. The Glass Menagerie is a tragic tale of a dysfunctional codependent family; a mother who only wants the best for her children, a daughter who is afraid to go out in the world, and a son who doesn’t know what to do to make it better for them all. The Jungle Theater’s production was beautifully sad and moving.  The incomparable Wendy Lehr (winner of the 2010 Lifetime Achievement Ivey Award) played the mother, and her chemistry with Joshua James Campbell's Tom was real and delightful.  Rounding out the strong cast was Michael Booth as the charming and arrogant gentleman caller, and Alayne Hopkins as the fragile Laura.  This family is trying so desperately to be happy, and they fail so miserably, that your heart just breaks for them.  I was reminded of how much I love the space at the Jungle and the work that they do.  They have several exciting shows coming up this year, so I just ordered a season pass.

9. My favorite theater find this year is the Yellow Tree Theatre in Osseo, a northwest suburb with a quaint small town feel. Founders and spouses Jason Peterson and Jessica Lind founded the theater in 2008 upon returning home after trying to find their fortune in New York City. Instead, they decided to make their fortune here. They transformed an ordinary space in a suburban strip mall into a warm, inviting space “where good stories live.” They opened the 2010-2011 with the original play String, a quirky romantic comedy that made me laugh and warmed my heart. Their website says: “We at Yellow Tree Theatre have this dream. We see the people of this community gathering together and getting excited about theatre. We see our theatre as a meeting place where everyone feels welcome, an artistic venue where people of all ages and walks of life can mingle together. Maybe we’re a little romantic, maybe this sounds like a crazy convoluted idea, but we’re okay with that. We like crazy.” I like that kind of crazy too.

10. The Guthrie’s production of The 39 Steps, which just closed last week, was a zany, fun, whirlwind of a show. A cast of just four actors played dozens of different characters on a wild ride across the Scottish countryside. Sarah Agnew, Jim Lichtscheidl, and Luverne Seifert were all hilarious in each of their many roles, and Robert Berdahl played the main character Richard Hannay with a suave elegance and over the top hamminess. They all seemed to be having as much fun as the audience was. I ran into Sarah at a Ten Thousand Things performance of Life’s a Dream during the run of the show, and couldn’t resist telling her I loved the show. I said to her, “I don’t know how you guys don’t crack each other up.” And she responded, “We do!” Like a great Carol Burnett sketch, the audience and the actors get caught up in the hilarity and fun of it all.

Honorable Mention:

I’ll always remember 2010 as the year of Hair. The 1968 Broadway musical was revived in 2009 and I had only started hearing about it when I was in New York City that April. I was hoping to get tickets at the TKTS booth, but no such luck. I became obsessed with the show as the soundtrack was released and the cast made frequent TV appearances, including on the 2009 Tony Awards, where it won for best revival of a musical. I fell in love with the entire cast, or tribe as they’re known, but especially Gavin Creel, both for his infectious performance as Claude and his tireless advocacy in bringing equality to everyone. I was planning another trip to NYC in April 2010, and as soon as Hair tickets were released I bought some. Just a few weeks later, it was announced that the entire cast was moving across the pond to do the show in London’s West End; their last NYC performance would be in March of 2010. Great news for the show and a great opportunity for the tribe, but devastating news for me! After a few hours of depression I thought, why don’t I just go to NYC before March to see the cast that I love doing this show that I love? So that’s exactly what I did, and it turned out to be one of my best trips there. My theater buddy Kendra and I saw the show and loved it – I was afraid it wouldn’t live up to my high expectations, but it absolutely did. We danced onstage and sang “Let the Sun Shine In,” and met most of the cast at the stage door. When Gavin hadn’t appeared and no one else seemed to be coming out, we were about to give up (did I mention it was January and cold?). But our patience was rewarded when Gavin came out to talk to a man who had been at the original show 40 years ago. He very generously braved the cold to talk to the few fans that remained. I found him to be just as sweet and kind and warm and funny as I thought he would be. Gavin traveled to Minnesota in September to perform at a fundraiser for then-candidate and current governor Mark Dayton, and I was able to talk to him for a few minutes then as well, after watching his amazing performance of classics and musical theater selections. But enough about Gavin, back to the show at hand.  I saw Hair again in April with the replacement cast, and it was almost as good as the original! I’m looking forward the tour that’s coming to Minneapolis in March, starring original tribe members Paris Remillard and Steel Burkhardt as Claude and Berger.

Entertainment Weekly called Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson “a weird, wild masterpiece,” and I find that a fitting description. During my third trip to NYC this year, Kendra and I were standing in the TKTS line trying to decide what to see, when a very nice and helpful young man convinced us to see BBAJ. It wasn’t a hard sell; I had heard rumblings about it, and as soon as our new friend heard that we’re interested in original, inventive musical theater, he directed us to this show. A political satire set to an endlessly singable emo-rock score with brilliant over-the-top performances, most notably by rising star Ben Walker as the sexypants president, BBAJ is part utter silliness and part biting commentary on the world we live in. Sadly, like Scottsboro Boys, this show is ahead of its time. It’s closing this weekend after a mere 120 performances. I’m so grateful I had the chance to see it during its short run, and I hope that it finds life in other forms.

I had the great fortune of seeing two Broadway legends and one legend-in-the-making at Orchestra Hall this year. Bernadette Peters (Sunday in the Park with George, Into the Woods, the movie version of Annie) performed with the Orchestra in May; Patti LuPone (in addition to such Broadway classics as Evita and Sweeney Todd, she also played my alter-ego Becca’s mom in my favorite TV show as a teen, Life Goes On) performed with only piano accompaniment in June; and Idina Menzel (Maureen in RENT and Elphaba in Wicked) performed barefoot with the orchestra in November. All three women told stories about their history and experiences in the world of musical theater, singing songs from shows they were a part of and shows they wished they were a part of. Three amazingly talented women and three amazing evenings celebrating my favorite thing, musical theater.

On the music front (remember those 22 concerts?) the definite highlight of the year was StoryhillFest over Labor Day Weekend. A two-day folk music festival in the beautiful Brainerd lakes area, StoryhillFest featured performances from nine artists in addition to two concerts by the duo Storyhill, about whom Garrison Keillor said something like, “setting the bar for male vocal duets.” The weekend was a wonderful celebration of music and the outdoors, and a collaboration between artists that culminated in a nightly campfire sing. I’ve never experienced anything quite like listening to my favorite musicians sing and play by the magical light of a campfire under a thousand stars. I went to the website to buy my tickets for the 2011 fest last week, only to find that the rooms are sold out! Not a big fan of camping in a crowd of people, I bought a few day passes and put my name on the waiting list in the hopes that something will open up before next September. If you like sitting outside listening to great music, get your tickets now!

That about wraps up my year in live entertainment!  Looking back on it, 2010 was a very good year.

"The Glass Menagerie" at The Jungle Theater

Apparently it's Tennessee Williams month in Minnesota. Last month I saw his iconic play A Streetcar Named Desire at the Guthrie, and last night it was another classic, The Glass Menagerie, at The Jungle Theater. The Jungle is a lovely little intimate theater in the Uptown area of Minneapolis. I've been there a few times; the last time was for the awesome rock musical Hedwig and the Angry Inch two years ago. I need to go more often, because they do good work. Their upcoming season (unlike most theaters, their season runs concurrent with the calendar year) includes the Stephen Sondheim musical A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum and I Am My Own Wife with one of my favorite actor/singers, Bradley Greenwald.

But back to the show at hand. I've seen The Glass Menagerie a few times before (most recently at the Guthrie three years ago), and I've always loved it. There's something so beautiful and tragic about Laura, who's more comfortable with her collection of little glass animals than with people, her mother, who's living in her glorious past as a debutante in the South, and her brother Tom, who's trapped between wanting to take care of them and wanting to live a life of his own. I jumped at the chance to see it again at the Jungle with this talented four-person cast, three of whom I've seen and enjoyed in other shows.

Wendy Lehr plays the mother, Mrs. Wingfield. Friends, if you have the chance to see Wendy in anything, take it. I've seen her in several things in the last few years (including as Big Edie in Grey Gardens, and stealing every scene she was in in The Full Monty), and she's always amazing. She inhabits whatever character she's playing fully, and has this great spark and stage presence that's much bigger than her petite frame. She's also hosting the Ivey Awards (Minnesota's version of the Tonys) next week, along with the Jungle's founding Artistic Director, Bain Boehlke. Her Mrs. Wingfield is equal parts charming belle of the ball, "Christian martyr," and overbearing mother, all of it entertaining.

Laura is played by Alayne Hopkins, who I've never seen before but who portrayed Laura's fragility and pain very well. Her brother Tom is played by Joshua James Campbell, who I most recently saw as the host of the cabaret show Where's My Tony? Josh was also in Grey Gardens and The Full Monty (which I believe is making a reprise at the Iveys next week). The three made for a very believable dysfunctional family. I particularly liked the chemistry between Wendy and Josh. One of my favorite scenes was when Tom and his mother were on "the terrace," aka the fire escape, wishing on the moon. He was leaning over on the railing, and she leaned over and put her head on his shoulder as she talked about how she wished her children success and happiness. It was such a sweet scene, and illustrated that she really did love and want the best for her children, even if she might not have gone about it the right way.

Of course there's one more character in the play, the gentleman caller, "the long delayed but always expected something that we live for." And can't we all relate to that? The feeling that there's something good and exciting coming, something that will make our lives better? Michael Booth (a frequent cast member at the Guthrie) plays Jim with just the right amount of charm and bravado. For those of you unfamiliar with the play, Mrs. Wingfield's main goal in life is to find a husband for her "crippled" and painfully shy daughter so that she will be taken care of, and enlists Tom to bring home a nice young man from his workplace. When the gentleman caller finally arrives, Mrs. Wingfield makes a big fuss over it and puts pressure on Laura to be pretty and perfect, which only makes her more nervous. The scene when Laura and Jim are alone together is all sweetness and awkwardness, and actually goes quite well, considering, until it's revealed that he's engaged to be married. I wish they could have seen this evening as a successful dress rehearsal for the next gentleman caller, who hopefully would be more available. But instead, Laura is devastated and Mrs. Wingfield is angry at her son for humiliating them. Tom leaves to find his fortune in the merchant marines, but can never quite leave the image of his sister behind him.

A classic play, one of America's greatest playwrights, a talented cast, a lovely intimate space - all reasons you should go see this play before it closes on October 17! As they say at the Jungle, "Epic theater, intimate space."