I finally got the opportunity to watch Tanghalang Ateneo's rendition of The Glass Menagerie. I remember reading the book as a school requirement many, many years ago. And I recall an 80's film on it starring John Malkovich but not until I watched the play again did the story come back to me. It is a beautiful yet depressing story --- full of symbolism --- that also aptly described the difficulty of living in the 30's.
Tom's dissatisfaction with his life is not something uncommon with young men who dream of adventure. Even today in the 21st century we will find a lot of people working at jobs they hate just to put food on the table or have cash to buy things they need but wish they were doing something else ... something more. In this particular show the role of Tom Wingfield is played by Ronan Capinding, an Ateneo alum and seasoned stage actor. His stage voice was definitely impressive ... deep, carrying, and (when he narrated) commanding ... and yet there were some things that I thought could've been done (or executed) differently. Not that his rendition was bad at all, really. It's just a matter of personal taste, I guess. In his portrayal, Tom appeared to be a hunchbacked, sloppy, chain-smoking, childish man. Maybe to Ron (Capinding) that was his way of portraying the amount of angst that burdened Tom. Seeing Ron after the show, though, it turns out that the hunchbacked part was not acting. Don't get me wrong, he isn't Quasimodo or anything like that. He just has really bad posture and had a tendency to hunch his shoulders. Watching him onstage actually brought to mind a tv and movie actor/comedian, named Leo Martinez.
Tom had issues with his controlling mother and as a mother it irritated me to no end that he would throw tantrums at the dinner table,stamp his feet, answer back, etc. His posture when sitting, standing, walking .. it clearly displayed "sullen boy" and I wanted to just go onstage and smack him! --- as well as pull his body straight, fix his clothes, and comb his hair, hehehe. And to abandon his family just like that? With neither his mom nor his sister having a job? How does he expect them to survive? This just proves how effective an actor he is, 'cause he pissed me off!
Laurice Guillien played the role of the domineering mom, Amanda Wingfield. She is great as always but ... two things bothered me.
- She was the only actor that used a lapel mic. Why is that? Is it difficult for her to project her voice now? Don't get me wrong, she still sounds great. It just stood out (to me) 'cause no one else had a mic on.
- For some reason she couldn't remove her Filipino accent. She is supposed to be a southern belle from St. Louis. Her actions and words portray the role, yet the accent says "Pinoy!" very strongly. Call centers nowadays employ trainors to teach their employees how to adapt a neutral American accent. I think she would have benefited from some quick pointers.
She is still a phenomenal actress, though. One last comment, though. I didn't realize she was so ... tiny. From where I was sitting it looked like she was barely 5 feet tall. Which makes it amazing that such a big voice could come out of such a tiny package.
Arnold Reyes plays the role of Jim O'Connor (the gentleman caller). From the way they described the role he seemed to epitomize the "all-American boy" --- the most popular kid in school, voted "most likely to succeed", etc., who strives to improves his lot in life and does not allow life's setbacks to get him down. He was the one man that Laura found herself attracted to in high school and meeting again after so long brought on a lot of high school memories for both of them.
This was the first time I heard Arnold speaking in English. I finally understood what
Zee was talking about. He did pretty well, actually. When he came in for his first scene he was spoke a trifle fast and it was difficult to understand what he was saying. It must have been a case of nerves. After a minute or two, though, he was able to relax and fell into the character beautifully. One thing I can say about this guy, he sure knows how to kiss. I wouldn't mind being on the receiving end of one of those, hehehe. It's been so long I don't know if my lips still know how to "assume the position". I would say he rated a
10 in stage kissing. He definitely does that pretty well.
Best of the bunch (in my opinion) was the portrayal of Laura by Ina Feleo. She was able to portray the vulnerability and fragility of the character very well. A big plus in my book was that she could project her voice and emotion with ease AND maintain a neutral accent. Come to think of it, she was the only one who sounded American in the cast.
The Glass Menagerie is not a light play. Although it did have it’s comedic moments, these were incidental to the story. The play (and the book) is very emotional and is riddled with attacks on social issues and living conditions of the 30’s. From my readings it appears that this, more than any work of Tenessee Williams, seemed to be more of an autobiography ... mimicking people and events that happened in his life growing up.
This was the first time I heard Arnold speaking in English. I finally understood what Zee was talking about. He did pretty well, actually. When he came in for his first scene he was spoke a trifle fast and it was difficult to understand what he was saying. 
