by Dave Allen
Good drama like good journalism is the product of objective and constructive criticism. To merely praise in a review is as ridiculous as to merely criticize and lends itself more to cheerleading at a football game than to good criticism.
Generally, the production of the “Glass Menagerie” was good. The three-quarter round was a vast improvement over the large, and usually empty auditorium. The set was fairly simple which was an improvement over the usually garnished, dreary sets used in this work.
George Davis, in the role of Tom, was the highlight of the show. He was able to portray the period and the character effectively without the usual dreariness. The other players, Beth Jacob, Jo Gallagher, and James Harris were also good, but were outshone by the startling reality of George’s portrayal. Beth had a little trouble maintaining a consistency of dialect, but was able to convince the audience of the character’s age, which is not a simple task for a young girl.
Jo was perhaps the most professional of the performers and gave if not a memorable showing, an effective one. James needed to be made-up and costumed better to fit the period; he too was a convincing actor in terms of speech and manner.
The performance was exceptional in the light of the frequency with which this play is performed. It was more difficult because the actors were not accustomed to the closeness of the audience. In general, however, the drama department produced a play of which the whole student body can be proud.