THE GLASS MENAGERIE

  MILWAUKEE REPERTORY THEATRE, WISCONSIN USA - 2017

★ 'BEST DESIGNER'

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel - USA Today Network

DIRECTED BY MARK CLEMENTS

LIGHTING DESIGN BY THOMAS C. HASE | COSTUME DESIGN BY RACHEL LARITZ

"An evocative setting that draws us into that vivid and painful world."

"Philip Witcomb’s set is literally a hall of mirrors–worn so much by time that the silver is eroding. Sometimes they reflect the scene, offering us a view of the action from multiple perspectives. And sometimes they allow us to peer through and see the world beyond the sofa, the Victorola and the tray of delicate glass animals. A monumental portrait of the family’s absent father shines through. Or we see into the dining room where Tom works on his poems, Laura works on her typing lessons, and Amanda works on preserving the veneer of her old Southern gentility in these shabby surroundings."

"A touching, heart-rending vision."

"Amid the shadows and reflections, they create a few moments of warmth and spark in the tortured world of Tom’s memory. And they linger beautifully, even after he leaves them behind and slams the hatch on the world he left behind."

Milwaukee Mag.com

"Stylistically, the production supports Clements’ reimagining of the work. Of particular note is Philip Witcomb’s scenic design, which features two monumental walls of glass panels punctured by large doors that the Narrator opens and closes throughout the play. Action among the family members and Gentleman Caller occurs both behind these walls and before them, heightening the sense of the Narrator’s memory as permeable, subjective and—despite its sometimes overwhelming content—fundamentally under his control. This is a world which Tom, with all his guilt and regret, has mulled over many times and which informs his creative work through all the subsequent years of his life. We are invited to take a look into his bitter but very human origins."

Shepherd Express

"Menagerie begins and ends in the dark.  What light there is plays off Philip Witcomb’s stunning set of smoky glass, which conjures half-seen ghosts of a sister and mother whose voices sometimes give off an eerie echo, making clear to us that they’re not really there.  Except, of course, that they are.  They play on in Tom’s mind, harrowing him and haunting us, forever."

Journal Sentinel

"There is a deliberate blurring in the staging for this production of Tom as commentator looking back and Tom as scene partner alive to the moment. A sense of double view also dominates Philip Witcomb’s set, where mysterious mirror scrim and Thomas C. Hase’s pool and pinpoint lighting keep us reflecting on the action even as it unfolds. The duality of the set evokes the tricks that memory plays. Clements keeps the cast moving throughout this environment, every major moment choreographed to the right spotlight."

Urban Milwaukee

"In this production, the Williams’ apartment is exceptionally sparse, as created by set designer Philip Whitcomb. Every bit of it looks scruffy and worn. There isn’t even a small, lighted display case for Laura’s collection of glass animals (giving the play its title). Instead, the collection sits on a wood tray that is stored on the floor beneath a bench. The set’s most striking element is a full-sized enclosure of smoked glass or acrylic. One door serves as an entrance to the apartment as well as the fire escape, which serves as a balcony. The other door leads to the dining room. The family sometimes congregates behind the glass wall to eat. This forces the audience to peer through this slightly wavy glass to see the characters. The glass walls also suggest the impermanence of memory and, perhaps, Amanda’s heightened fear that the glass will come toppling down on her at any moment."

Theatrecriticism.com

"The set design by Philip Witcomb creates illusion and a pervasive claustrophobia."

GM Today