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| Rick O' Daniel-Munger, Barb O' Daniel Munger, Grace Poganski, Magdalena Hartman, George Robert Bailey, Kelly Karp & Sean Childress in The Glass Mendacity. Photo – Louisville Repertory Company. |
The Glass Mendacity
Written by Maureen Morley & Tom Willmorth
Directed by Angela Miller
Reviewed by Keith Waits
Entire contents are copyright © 2013, Keith Waits. All
rights reserved.
Tennessee Williams wrote a great many plays, but even
those unfamiliar with his prodigious theatrical output have at least a passing
acquaintance with his three most famous works – A Streetcar Named Desire, Cat on A Hot Tin Roof and The Glass Menagerie – plays filled with
iconic imagery that have, over time, become clichés in popular culture and
would therefore be considered ripe for parody.
Thus we have The
Glass Mendacity, a broad-as-the-side-of-a-barn parody of Williams' neurotic-julep-and-magnolia-blossom body of work. The plot is basically a riff
on Cat on A Hot Tin Roof, with a
crazy-quilt family of characters pulled from all three plays and mixed up as if
put through a Cuisinart to produce a rancid comedic gumbo. The DuBois family
gathers to welcome Big Daddy (George Robert Bailey) home from the hospital, where a dire diagnosis has set the potential heirs in conflict to secure
inheritance of Belle Reve, the family estate. Daughter Blanche (Kelly Kapp) and
her husband Stanley Kowalski (Sean Childress), son Brick (portrayed by a
mannequin – seriously) and his wife Maggie the Cat (Barb O’ Daniel-Munger), and the youngest and most emotionally and physically fragile Laura (Magdalena
Hartman) are all vying for Big Daddy’s favor, while Big Amanda, his wife
(Grace Poganski), dutifully tries to keep the peace while forever remembering
the exponentially expanding number of gentleman callers of her youth. There is
also Mitch (Rick O’ Daniel-Munger), Big Daddy’s lawyer and potential suitor for
Laura, who also serves as a narrator.
The script takes a scattershot approach to the wild
mash-up of Williams’ elements but maintains a surprisingly clear narrative
structure. As many jokes fall flat as succeed, and the lack of subtlety can be
grating after a while. Yet there is good energy among the cast and a level of
commitment to silliness that wins the day. Every so often someone would manage
to bring a moment of nuance to their characterization, but I’m not sure that
has any place in such ludicrous business as this. Better to go for broke and
overplay it.
The ensemble are all on the same page here, pushing the
boundaries without competing with one another and never flinching at the
somewhat ridiculous things they are required to do.
One cannot help but wish for a smarter, more thoughtful
satire of the overripe tropes of the famous playwright’s work than this script
provides; but this amiable production manages to earn its laughs and not
overstay its welcome. It puts me in mind of classic Carol Burnett sketches,
where Carol might be Blanche, Vicki Lawrence could play Maggie, Harvey Korman
as Stanley, etc.; odds are they must have done exactly that at some point. If you long for the that kind of broad
sketch comedy or are an aficionado of Tennessee Williams, this show would be a
good pick for you.
The Glass Mendacity
October 10, 11, 12, 14, 18, 19 and 20 at 8 p.m.
October 20 at 2 p.m.
$16; $11 on Industry Night (October 14). 502-584-7777. Or save box-office fees by using The Kentucky Center's drive-through ticket service.
October 20 at 2 p.m.
$16; $11 on Industry Night (October 14). 502-584-7777. Or save box-office fees by using The Kentucky Center's drive-through ticket service.
Louisville Repertory Company
The MeX Theatre, The Kentucky Center
501 West Main Street
Louisville, KY 40202
502-584-7777
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