THE GLASS MENAGERIE

 

 The Glass Menagerie by Tennessee Williams.  

Directed by Geoffrey Borny. Designed by Sarea Coates. Costume design by Anna Senior. Brenton Warren Properties. Lighting Design Craig Muller. Sound Design Nev Pye. Stage Manager Julie Barnes and Mae Schembri. Set Coordinator Russell Brown OAM. Accent Coach Tony Turner. Intimacy Coordinator Jill Young. Canberra REP Theatre. Canberra Repertory Society. July 24 – August 8 2026. Bookings 62571950 or 62474222.

Reviewed by Peter Wilkins

 

Canberra Rep could hope for no better person than Geoffrey Borny to direct Rep’s production of Tennessee Williams’s memory play The Glass Menagerie. Not only does he hold a PhD in Williams’ works but he is also a former head of the now defunct ANU Drama Faculty. What he and his cast and creatives have produced is a perfect homage to Williams’ deeply revelatory insight into the life of the Wingfield family during the time of the Great depression in 1930s St. Louis. At the end of Tom Wingfield’s final regretful and guilt-ridden monologue I am left with a profound sense of loss, of entrapment and life as fragile as Laura Wingfield’s glass menagerie, as neurotic as Amanda Wingfield’s allusion to the gay life of the Southern belle and as suffocating as Tom’s work at the Continental Shoe Warehouse. 

Jamie Johnston as Laura. Rob de Fries as Tom in The Glass Menagerie"

 

The Glass Menagerie is a play about family, based in part on Williams’ own family, his mother the histrionic Edwina, portrayed in the creation of Amanda (Victoria Tyrrell Dixon), his sister Rose who is partially realized in his portrayal of the insecure and shy Laura (Jamie Johnston) and himself as Tom (Rob de Fries). What is captured so powerfully in this production is the character’s urge to escape. Tom escapes to the movies. Laura escapes to her glass menagerie. Amanda escapes to the glamour magazines and a bygone era of carefree Southern gaiety. Even Jim O’ Connor (John Whinfield), the gentleman caller plans to escape to the fledgling world of television. Tom and Laura’s father Cornelius has also escaped to roam the country with a telephone exchange company, never to return. His lit portrait hangs upon the wall as a reminder of the search for something else. For Tom it lies in his future dream to be a writer. For Amanda it is in the past glory of her youth. For Laura it is the vain hope that she may find love with her schoolgirl crush, O’Connor.

Laura (Jamie Johnston) and Amanda (Victoria Tyrrell Dixon)

 

Borny’s direction is meticulous, imbuing the production and the cast with a deep understanding of Williams’s emotional reflections. Nev Pye’s sound design and musical selection guides our response, heightening our reaction to the moment and transporting us to the magical realm of memory. Projected silent movie captions flash images and words upon a screen to remind us that we are witnessing a recollected memory of a family through Tom’s eyes. What we are seeing is Williams’ struggle played out through the actions and motivations of his characters and revealed through Tom’s narration. It is disturbing, moving and a profoundly insightful observation of human nature.

John Whinfield as Jim O'Connor. Jamie Johnston as Laura Wingfield 

 

The Glass Menagerie, like Cat On A Hot Tin Roof or A Streetcar Named Desire are studies in family dynamics. Although Rep’s staging of The Glass Menagerie is an amateur production the casting is crucial and Borny has chosen an excellent cast to capture the spirit and the nature of Williams’s characters and entice understanding and empathy. Tom’s final monologue exposes the regret and remorse at abandoning his sister, but it is left to Laura to blow out the candles and extinguish hope in the play’s final moment. It is a shattering moment that will stay with you long after you have left the theatre. As will Jamie Johnston’s performance of Laura. It is heart wrenching, beautifully understated and exquisitely nuanced. It provides a perfect foil to Whinfield’s confident O’Connor. The long scene in Act Two between Laura and O’Connor is thoroughly engaging, moving and ultimately devastating. It is performed brilliantly by Whinfield and Johnston.

John Whinfield (Jim O'Connor), Victoria Tyrrell Dixon (Amanda ) Rob de Fries (Tom)

As Amanda, Tyrrell Dixon bristles with the neurosis of Williams’ female protagonists – Maggie the Cat, Blanche Duboit and Amanda Wingfield. Tyrrell Dixon scales the heights of elation and the depths of anguish in a performance that reveals Williams’ painful memories of a woman, trapped in a life of unrequited hope. Hers is the tragedy of vanquished expectation. Williams’ creation of Tom Wingfield presents a challenge. As the Narrator of the story his reflections with hindsight must contrast with his appearance as the young Tom in the recalled action of the play. As narrator Tom, de Fries effectively captures the wry humour and detached recollection of the older narrator. As the young 23 year old Tom de Fries’ characterization is honest enough, but there is the impetuosity of youth missing in the physicality of his character. I was hoping for greater contrast between the escapee and the entrapped Tom. In 1945 Eddie Dowling was 55 when he played Tom in the original Broadway production. It is a question of differentiating more the younger and the older Tom. de Fries honestly portrays the emotional shift. Physically, there is a youthfulness that is yet to come.

Canberra REP’s production of The Glass Menagerie is a splendid Tennessee Williams showcase performance, directed by a master of playwright’s works and performed by a cast that embrace the essential humanity of the play’s characters. The times change, but Borny’s production of The Glass Menagerie teaches as does any great work of the stage that human nature is not defined by the passing of time but by the actions of humans.

If you are a theatre lover, a student of theatre and acting or a teacher and student of dramatic literature do not miss this opportunity to see a true production of Tennessee Williams’ classic memory play.

Photos by Ross Gould 

 

 

 

 

THE GLASS MENAGERIE

 

Written by Tennessee Williams

Directed by Geoffrey Borny

Canberra REP production

Canberra REP Theatre, Acton to 8 August.

 

Reviewed by Len Power 24 July 2026

 

Originally produced in 1944, this first play by Tennessee Williams has many autobiographical elements. Pressured to remove non-realistic staging devices from that first production, Williams clearly preferred his original version, eventually publishing it in his Collected Works. This new Canberra REP production provides the opportunity to see Williams’ original vision of the play.

During the Depression in the 1930s, Amanda Wingfield lives in a romanticized past. Her son, Tom, yearns for adventure while her shy, slightly handicapped daughter retreats into a comforting world of glass animals. Conflict arises with Amanda’s unrealistic and overbearing dreams for her children. The story is presented as emotionally charged memories by Tom, who warns the audience at the outset that it is “not realistic”.

John Whinfield (Jim), Victoria Tyrell Dixon (Amanda) and Rob de Fries (Tom)

A strong cast of four bring Williams’ characters triumphantly to life. As Amanda, Victoria Tyrell Dixon gives a touching portrait of this fading Southern belle. Yearning for an era that will never return, she achieves the unique style of this woman through a believable delivery of her dialogue and portrayal of her physical attitudes. Her Jonquils soliloquy is particularly memorable.

John Whinfield (Jim) and Jamie Johnston (Laura)

As the son, Tom Wingfield, Rob de Fries shows a deep and appealing understanding of this dreamer remembering his past. Jamie Johnston gives a sweetly touching performance as the fragile daughter, Laura, and John Whinfield is cooly confident as the Gentleman Caller, Jim O’Connor.

The meticulous direction by Geoffrey Borny has achieved a fine level of realistic performances from his cast. His use of lighting and sound to enforce the memory aspects of the play is particularly successful. Anna Senior’s fine period costumes help to bring the characters to life.

 

Photos by Ross Gould

 

Len Power's reviews are also broadcast on Artsound FM 92.7 in the ‘Arts Cafe’ and ‘Arts About’ programs and published in his blog 'Just Power Writing' at https://justpowerwriting.blogspot.com/.

 

 

 

5 LESBIANS EATING A QUICHE

 

Written by Evan Linder and Andrew Hobgood.

Directed by Jarrad West.

Everyman Theatre. ACT Hub. To Aug. 1.

 

I thought for a while that we’d gone back to some post war 1960s ban the bomb stuff along the lines of the lighter side of Dr Strangelove. Turns out it only dates back to 2011.

 

It’s a bit of good old fashioned anti nuclear stuff with all the characters eventually trapped in a fall out shelter. And they are all lesbians so the survival of the species is problematic. Much of the time is devoted to figuring out ways to get round this.

 

It’s a genre that I am rather fond of. Try Threads for the full on British gloom doom and despondency version. Or Dr Strangelove for the black comedy. This one is rather more modern but mines the genre in a way that the excellent cast enjoy no end.

 

There are five women, all different varieties of lesbian, in the 1950s fallout shelter with a heavy grandly designed door with a little window in it. They have gathered for the annual quiche breakfast of the Susan B. Anthony Society for the Sisters of Gertrude Stein. They rapidly become preoccupied with the future of humanity when one reveals she is pregnant.

 

The audience has name tags and is included but it’s clear that no one is getting out of there in a hurry.

 

The play allows five experienced actors (Crystal Mahon, Steph Roberts, Meaghan Stewart, Sian Harrington and Yaris Rogers) the chance to go happily over the top. Director Jarrad West and this cast have clearly had a lot of enjoyment with it all.

The cast of '5 Lesbians Eating A Quiche'

Despite the high stage the flat floor for the audience makes for some sightline problems if you are further back so make sure you are well to the front.

It’s hardly the most incisive anti-bomb piece nor is it necessarily intended to be. The entrapment in a fallout shelter is a device to contain the characters rather than much of a piece of social and political criticism. But it is fun to watch such a good cast at work.

 

Alanna Maclean

BEYOND THE ALGORITHM: CHALLENGING THE MANOSPHERE

 

Beyond the Algorithm: Challenging the Manosphere.   

An ANU Wellspring Initiative lead by Leslie Barnes and in collaboration with The Street Theatre and the ANU School of Literature, Language and Linguistics. Directed by Robin Davidson. Stage Manager Rhiley Winnett. Lighting Operator Emma Burrows. Facilitators Vivian Gerrand and Robin Davidson.  Street Two. The Street Theatre. July 22^nd. 2026

Canberra Youth Theatre actors: Xavier Taylor, Ashleigh Butler, Rose Nixon-Poole, Matthew Hogan, Blue Hyslop, Disa Swifte.

Reviewed by Peter Wilkins

Robin Davidson is the Facilitator in Beyond the Algorithm: Challenging the Manosphere

 

Theatre takes many forms. Forum Theatre is interactive theatre. Conceived by Brazilian Director Augusto Boal in the 1970s Forum Theatre aims to address social, political or economic issues in order to effect change. In presenting Beyond the Algorithm: Challenging the Manosphere, Robin Davidson continues to contribute challenging and thought-provoking theatre that marked his work with actors with various differences including physical challenges and mental health issues. His work with Rebus always addressed work that would improve self esteem and confidence through theatre that enabled a positive outcome. Now retired from Rebus, Davidson continues to pursue theatre that will make a difference. Forum Theatre is such theatre as conceived by the late Augusto Boal.

L-R  Matthew Hogan as Sam. Xavier Taylor as Alex. Ashleigh Butler as Rebecca. Rose Nixon-Poole as Sarah 

 

Forum Theatre as its name suggests is the interaction between the actor and the audience whom Boal called Spectactors. The audience is invited to watch a performance by actors and then when the performance is replayed they are invited to call out STOP, assume the role of one of the actors and improvise a narrative that may change the character’s attitude and behaviour. If the suggestion takes effect the play continues until another member of the audience calls out STOP and enters the stage to offer an alternative behaviour that will ultimately contribute to change and if possible a desired outcome.

Online Manfluencers on Reddit promote Misogyny

 

Boal introduced a mediator or facilitator whom he called The Joker. Beyond the Algorithm: Challenging the Manosphere explores teenage misogyny as depicted online through text messages and Reddit Manfluencers which is then presented as live theatre through the techniques of Forum Theatre. The scenario is simple enough for an audience to feel safe to participate in the search for solutions. Alex (Xavier Taylor) and Rebecca (Ashleigh Butler) are working on a school project.  Rebecca’s friend Sarah (Rose Nixon-Poole)  tells her that Alex made sexist remarks about  a girl’s body at a party and warns Rebecca to be careful about the arsehole. Alex’s friend Sam (Matthew Hogan) reinforces misogynistic behaviour in Alex, who becomes more and more confused and is unable to seek reassurance from his father (Blue Hyslop), who is unable to communicate effectively with his son. He is rebuked by his teacher (Disa Swifte) and in turn rebukes his father for being weak and a loser, which is where the performance ends before being replayed with interactive involvement by the audience members.

Davidson advises the audience that this is an experiment in exploring the digital use of misogynistic commentary online compared to the important role that theatre has to play in confronting the issue. When Boal devised Forum Theatre, the Digital revolution had not yet begun. Can the role of Forum Theatre and its unique nature be replicated on the internet, where young people are exposed to such sites as Reddit, Meta, various social media platforms, Tik Tok, Instagram Manfluencers such as the Tate Brothers and offensive commentators such as Tommy Robinson? In the Digital Age, the need for Forum Theatre becomes even more obvious. The recent ban on social media usage by young people under the age of 16 is preventative but it does not effect a change in attitude or behaviour necessarily. That is the challenge proposed by Beyond the Algorithm: Challenging the Manosphere by confronting the issue, such as online misogyny and devising an online platform to effect change as Boal intended.

Ashleigh Butler as Rebecca. Blue Hyslop as Dad. Rose Nixon-Poole as Sarah

 

Forum Theatre may not always be entirely effective in achieving change but judging by the participants’ commitment to arrive at a solution it certainly offers eye-opening opportunities to  tackle the problem of online misogyny. Davidson avoided the dark side of misogyny online to facilitate reasoned, open debate and judging by the intense focus and constructive and effective solutions presented by an engrossed audience, Davidson’s presentation of Beyond the Algorithm: Challenging the Manosphere was theatre at its most absorbing, thought provoking and hopeful. As one audience member observed- in live theatre one is compelled to interact face to face with the person in the space.  On line communication can be distorted, avoided or misunderstood, but as the cast and the spectactors showed in this powerful theatre form Boal’s Forum Theatre performs a vital function in facilitating change, which is at the core of what Boal termed the Theatre of the Oppressed. 

Photos by Nathan Smith