Actor and New West resident Marilyn Norry will be charming the audience with her southern belle accent this month, during the production of The Glass Menagerie.
The play, based on the classic novel by Tennessee Williams, is set in St. Louis during the Great Depression. Rooted in real-life events from Williams’ past, the storyline revolves around four characters – Tom, his mother Amanda (Norry’s role), his sister Laura and a potential suitor named Jim.
Tom is an aspiring poet, who toils in a shoe warehouse to support his family. Amanda however, struggles with raising her children under harsh financial conditions. Originally from an elitist Southern family, she’s constantly recalling tales from her idyllic years.
Conflict of all sorts emerge throughout each scene. Laura is a disappointment in her mother’s eyes because she drops out of school and fails to attract a man interested in marriage. Tom meanwhile, is thirsty for adventure and in search of an escape. The plot unfolds by memory, where “older” Tom narrates and “younger” Tom is part of the action.
“This is a relevant play in today’s world,” said Norry in a phone interview with The Record. “The children are staying at home and not getting out. Their hopes and dreams are not being realized.
“It’s about the choices people allow themselves to have. During the 30s, women of high breeding were not trained for anything. Amanda even says ‘I was not prepared for what the future brought me. I was brought up to have lots of servants and live on a large piece of land and have parties.’”
Norry added Amanda’s character really sheds light on the expectations women had of themselves during that era.
“It asks what options does a woman give herself as to what she is and isn’t able to accomplish. We have this idea now that women have more choices, but really individual women are looking at what their mothers did and what was the right and appropriate behavior, like ‘I’m going to have a home that’s better than my mother’s.’ To be able to shift and change with the outward expectations of the world, that’s not necessarily a skill we teach people,” she said.
With two stepchildren of her own, Norry said she can relate to Amanda on many levels (some colleagues have even insinuated she is Amanda in real life).
“I don’t know if that’s a compliment or an insult,” she said with a chuckle. “That whole process of making sure the kids are fledged, making them feel confident to go out into the world, I have a lot of experience doing that.”
The Glass Menagerie carries a contemporary spin with some humour, too, according to Norry. She said by using the memory technique, viewers are drawn in further into the story.
“For the audience, it allows everybody the opportunity to look back on their own lives with a bit of perspective, to frame your own life in a different way,” she noted.
The production is directed by award-winning playwright Shawn Macdonald. Opening night is Friday, Dec. 5, curtain is at 8 p.m. at the Jericho Arts Centre in Vancouver. Tickets start at $18 and can be purchased at the door, by calling 1-800-838-3006 or at glassmenagerieyvr.brownpapertickets.com.
