Glass Menagerie Lighting Analysis

The use of lighting in the original script of The Glass Menagerie allows the viewers to experience the presence of guilt that Tom feels throughout the whole memory. Williams calls out for certain lighting on Laura in his production notes in which he says, “The light upon Laura should be distinct from the others, having a peculiar pristine clarity such as light used in early religious portraits of female saints or madonnas” (Williams 751). Harvey, following Williams’ stage directions exactly, creates a wonderful effect by using soft, white light to shine down on Laura and focus the attention on her as well. The light seems to glow around Laura in most scenes, making her look like a delicate, angelic figure. Another example of lighting also comes

Harvey does follow the production notes of Tennessee Williams that say, “In keeping the atmosphere of memory, the stage is dim” (Williams 751). The stage is always dimly lit making the shadows very apparent, which is in fact used to show that the whole play is apart of Tom’s unconscious mind. Harvey also adds his own visual element of presenting Laura and Tom as polar opposites. The audience is able to see how Tom, who is bathed in darkness still feels guilty about leaving Laura behind. The dark lighting that envelopes Tom gives the viewers the sense that he sees himself as a sinister or less than holy character, while he views Laura as innocent and angleic. Harvey uses dark and light lighting to successfully present the archetype of good vs. evil. By using all these elements of lighting, Harvey successfully adds upon the original script to create the

In the production of The Glass Menagerie, Miles is able to convey the innocence of Laura by using simple gestures such as batting her eyelashes or staring wide-eyed at her brother and mother throughout the play. By Miles adding these simple gestures, the readers understand that Tom still remembers Laura as his innocent little sister that needs protection. Tom never finds out what Laura has become so he will always remember her as someone who needs his protection, which he will forever feel guilty. In the written script Williams does not mention specifics of batting the eyelashes or the wide eyes, but by Miles adding these in the performance she effectively adds to the overall story. Miles also does an excellent job at expressing how socially awkward Laura is in scene VI, when Laura’s gentleman caller comes to the door and she is forced to open it. In the script Williams calls out, “She slips to the door and draws it cautiously open” (Williams 771), however in the production Miles makes the interaction even more awkward by standing behind the door after she opens it. It makes the scene uncomfortable to watch, which is exactly what Williams is trying to achieve. Overall, Miles does a superb job at adding to the original script and adding to the