In the latest version of the classic Tennessee Williams play, audiences are invited to step back in time to 1937 St Louis. Tom Wingfield, artfully played by Banyan Freeborn, guides audiences through a fragile memory, set against the backdrop of the Great Depression, where family expectations, love, heartbreak and hope collide.
Within a cramped apartment, a mother clings to dreams of a better future, a son longs for independence and escape, and a painfully shy daughter retreats into a delicate world of her glass menagerie. When a long-anticipated gentleman caller arrives with enthusiasm and encouragement, the Wingfields glimpse the possibility of change—yet what follows leaves us suspended between heartbreak and hope.
Working on this play has been described by director Min Saxe as akin to composing a love letter to her grandparents. ‘This was their era, and despite the Great Depression, it was an era of great style! Gathering the authentic set pieces, props and costumes was a wonderful treasure hunt.’
Two pieces of furniture on the set were made by Min’s grandfather back in the early 1920s, some of her grandmother’s silver is featured on the set, as well as some nostalgic family photographs.
Audiences are immersed in the production as they ‘enter the alley between the Wingfield apartment and the Paradise Dance Hall’, and are treated to a wonderful selection of jazz greats and dance hall classics with performances by professional dancers.
Performers
Amanda Wingfield played by Toni Forbes is a standout figure brought to life beautifully with a blend of humour, nostalgia and quiet desperation. Jyoti Smith plays Laura Wingfield with the perfect balance of vulnerability, sensitivity and quiet courage, making her the emotional heart of the play.
The gentleman caller, Jim O’Connor, is portrayed by Lachlan Hall with a refreshing confidence bringing potential sense of hope and optimism to the Wingfield household.
Each character is given space to breathe and to reveal their inner lives, making the play not just a story, but an intimate exploration of memory, family and longing. The result is a production that feels intimate, poetic and profoundly moving – a testament to the enduring power of Williams’ vision.
There are only three performances remaining, this weekend at the Rochdale Theatre in Lismore.
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