“The Glass Menagerie” is one of those plays that has been deified to such an extent that it becomes extremely daunting to take on in production, and any theatre company that is willing to brave the interpretive sensitivity of audiences to such a work is certainly worthy of kudos, if for nothing but the bravery. But when tackling quality theatre, the prestige of the play cannot be a crutch. There is an expectation of quality from a production of such a play that cannot be waived off with a simple, “Well, it’s a really hard play to do.” The words of an artist like Tennessee Williams demand justice, and, unfortunately, the Greenway Court Theatre’s production of “Menagerie” doesn’t quite meet the necessary standard.

“The Glass Menagerie” is a fragile memory play that explores Tom Wingfield’s recollections of his family—his mother, Amanda (Lisa Richards), and his crippled and introverted sister, Laura (Kerry Knuppe). Years after Tom’s father abandoned the family, the Wingfields live in a claustrophobic tenement in St. Louis, and Tom’s factory job that he works to support the family is grinding him to the bone. As he is driven further from Amanda and Laura and deeper into fantasies of escape, adventure and exploration, Amanda realizes her time is running short to find a suitor for Laura, and someone who can support them when Tom is no longer able to. A highly autobiographical work, Williams’ play is a poetic examination of family, time, pipedreams under fire from reality and profound, all-consuming dissatisfaction.

For a play that relies so heavily on character, the character work in this production is surprisingly lacking. Lisa Richards' Amanda lacks a necessary bite, with Jack Heller’s interpretation of the character completely relying on a one-dimensional generosity and selfless investment in the success of her children, while Amanda in text has a far more nuanced relationship with her family’s prosperity. Although Amanda does care immensely about her children, there is a self-serving side to the character that tears her children down just as much as it raises them up. Richards’ Amanda lacks nuance, and this “Menagerie” gives off the impression that Tom and Laura fail to capitalize on the opportunities that a completely sympathetic Amanda presents them, failing to explore the reality that Amanda simply wants them to be something they’re not. This particularly inhibits the audience’s ability to connect with Tom, who instead of being trapped by expectation is held back only by his own selfishness. Amanda’s attempts to connect with her children then become painfully comic, nullifying the tragedy of her character.

Kerry Knuppe’s Laura is also painfully impotent. The choice to handicap her beyond the physical limp the script calls her with an incomprehensible speech impediment robs her entirely of agency. Laura’s dropping out of school and a clear romantic yearning for Jim O’Connor (Patrick Joseph Rieger), her high school crush, come across only as products of her “weirdness” rather than facets of an interior life that is surprisingly cognizant and calculated. And an awkwardly intimate goodnight kiss as she helps a drunk Tom to bed one night adds an unearned statement about their relationship that is entirely unsupported throughout the rest of the production. It’s a very textbook approach to the play, throwing in the interpretive possibility that Tom’s fixation on Laura in his memory is more than it seems on the surface without actually delving into the complexity and potential of such a scenario. It is a half-choice—an attempt to be bold that ultimately works against the play without further elaboration. Interpretive statements in the production seem to come from left field because the director and the acting ensemble have failed to break ground on the fundamental skeleton of the play. Jack Heller attempts to delve into the complex issues of the play without first laying the essential groundwork.

The most accomplished performance was delivered by Patrick Joseph Rieger as Jim. Rieger's portrayal brings out a side of the character that is often overlooked by productions of the play—his washed-up qualities. Rather than being a shining beacon of hope and perfection, which is certainly how Laura sees Jim, Rieger's Jim is just as lost as Tom and Laura, desperately clawing for any shred of accomplishment to make up for a life of general inadequacy. Jim was really the only character in the production whose nuances and paradoxes were fully flushed out, and Rieger's performance was dynamic and magnetic.

The production has a great deal of logistical issues on top of the artistic shortcomings. Brian Foyster’s Southern dialect has an incredibly distracting Brooklyn coloring to it, considering that the play takes place in St. Louis.  Joel Daavid's scenic design is the most accomplished of the technical elements, mixing some touches of expressionism and the “plastic theatre” Williams advocated into what might normally be a kitchen sink drama set. Jeffrey Porter’s lighting design, however, is much more clunky in fitting into the action of the play and Jack Heller’s sound design is the most jarring of all. Again, there is a great deal of half-choices here. Lighting and sound transition very suddenly and jarringly, but not enough attention is paid to the moment for it to come across as an intentionally presentational change. The sound design would very much benefit from some fade cues and level changes, for the timing, volume, and choices of music and sound effects grind to a screeching halt the poetic flow and dramatic moment of the play.

The Greenway Court Theatre’s production of “The Glass Menagerie” is unsatisfying because the direction and design simply don’t meet Williams halfway, and it is absolutely crippling to put on an adequate execution of excellent writing. The painfully oversimplified biography of Tennessee Williams in the program, taken straight from CliffsNotes, sums up the show; this is a CliffsNotes production. High school level analysis with little to no depth or exploration makes this “Menagerie” extremely frustrating to watch, not to mention the almost shocking technical incompetence. Hopefully, should this team tackle such a prolific play again, they will meet it head-on and deliver an effort worthy of the challenge.

“The Glass Menagerie” runs through June 14th at the Greenway Court Theatre (544 N. Fairfax Ave., Los Angeles). Tickets are $25. For more information, please visit www.GreenwayCourt.org. 

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