Glass Menagerie, The

Glass Menagerie, The (1945), a drama by Tennessee Williams. [Playhouse, 561 perf.; NYDCC Award.] Looking back, Tom Wingfield ( Eddie Dowling) recalls his life in a shoddy St. Louis tenement during the Depression with his mother, Amanda ( Laurette Taylor), who lives in dreams of a probably imaginary past, and his crippled sister, Laura ( Julie Haydon), who seems to live only for a collection of glass animals. At Amanda's insistence, Tom invites his friend Jim ( Anthony Ross) from the warehouse where he works to the Wingfield apartment for dinner. It turns out Jim went to high school with Laura, who has long been quietly in love with his memory, and the two hit it off quite well until Jim mentions that he is engaged to be married. After Jim has gone, Amanda scolds Tom, who runs off to join the merchant marine. Called “a memory play” by Williams, and “a mood‐memory play” by some later writers, it was hailed by Ward Morehouse of the Sun as “fragile and poignant . . . a vivid, eerie and curiously enchanting play.” The success of the Dowling and Louis J. Singer production placed Williams in the front ranks of contemporary dramatists, and Taylor's performance was considered one of the memorable acting gems of the time. Pauline Lord headed the road company, and the play has remained a favorite in regional and educational theatres. New York revivals have been less successful; a 1983 revival with Jessica Tandy and a 1994 production with Julie Harris were rare failures for the two gifted actresses.