The Glass Menagerie - Royal Exchange Theatre

Joshua Jonas and Rhiannon Clements as Tom and Laura - photo by Marc Brenner

THEY say good things come to those who wait and that old saying certainly rings true for this production, originally planned for the Spring of 2020 when the country was plunged into lockdown for the first time.

From the pen of Tennessee Williams, this is American classic that’s given actors a verbal feast through the generations by putting some of the most exquisite lines ever written and the characters are strong and believable too.

This play first saw the light of day in the mid 40’s today and while the rules of social etiquette have invariably changed, domestic strife still forms a large part of our dramatic diet and from the soaps to the stage, we jjust can’t get enough of it.

Laura, young, pretty and hopelessly insecure as a result of disability, looks after her collection of miniature glass animals with a devotion that verges on that usually reserved for religious artefacts. She’s pining away, aching to find true love and Rhiannon Clements ensures by her fine performance we never feel sorry for Laura. We just ache for her to be happy.

Geraldine Sommerville is perfect as her mother, Amanda, trying to run Laura’s life and that of her other sibling Tom. Joshua Jonas is tailor made for this part and the spats between him and his stage mom Amanda are both heated and memorable.

We the audience feel empathy for Tom too, as he tries to plot his escape from the family’s purgatorial home.

But has Laura’s luck finally turned with the arrival of the silver tongued dinner guest Jim, played by Eloka Ivo? Ivo is wonderful as Jim, a character with an ego as big as the Eifel Tower and he and Clements treat us to a very memorable scene in the second act which had echoes of Hollywood in it. But I won’t spoil it for you.

Director Atri Bannerjee gives us a production that’s as engrossing as it is entertaining and so thoughtfully staged.

Highly recommended.

Until October 8. The box office is on 0161 833 9833. Star rating - ****