The Glass Menagerie

The Glass Menagerie, Norwich Theatre Royal, 2008

Cast: Brenda Blethyn, Mark Arends, Emma Hamilton, Andrew Langtree.

Writer: Tennessee Williams

Director: Braham Murray

Vera does theatre! I think this is the only time I've seen Brenda Blethyn on stage and now she's got her hands full with Vera I doubt there'll be another opportunity. That can be the only reason I went to a Tennessee Williams thing because I find him a very tricky writer. All that mad hysteria of A Streetcar Named Desire is exhausting, although the recent version with Gillian Anderson did a good job of keeping it in check until the end (I saw it in the cinema). Then there's the madness of Suddenly Last Summer and despite the starry cast the best thing about the film of Cat on a Hot Tin Roof was  Paul Newman's silk pyjamas. We left at the interval and I don't regret that at all.