Practiced actors, moody lighting and sound make for best production yet

University Theatre wrapped up the semester with its final spring production, Tennessee Williams classic play, “The Glass Menagerie.”

Audience members are whisked into the memories of Tom Wingfield, the narrator, as he remembers life with his sister and mother. Set in the late 1930s, his mother, Amanda Wingfield, is struggling to keep what is left of her family together after her husband leaves.

Her daughter, Laura, is shy, crippled and has yet to find a husband or job. She is obsessed with animal glass figures, particularly a glass unicorn, and is so shy she gets “indigestion” at times. The main part of the play surrounds the coming of a “gentleman caller” and the hysterics Laura’s mother gets into.

While there is some comedy in the play, particularly in relation to Amanda, this play balances humor with equal parts sadness. Themes addressed in the play make the story relatable to the audience: Poverty, one of the struggles the family is faced with, not only makes life difficult for Amanda, who tries to provide for her family, but also puts another obstacle in the way of Laura marrying.

Artistically speaking, the sets created for the production formed a sense of ease, and helped the audience become more assimilated into the play. Sound effects and lighting, while seemingly small, contributed to the overall mood of each scene, whether the scene exuded a positive or negative emotion.

By far the most energetic and entertaining character was Amanda, played by Kelsey Deroian. Deroian’s accent fit the role of a once-southern belle. When the play ended, the audience agreed that Deroian did a great job taking on her role. At some points she talked so quickly, audience members were left dazed, wondering how she fit so much dialogue into such a short span of time.

Audience members, after the play, were left asking questions about the family: What happens to Laura? Does the family pull through their struggles? However, because the entire play is a string of Tom’s memories, some questions are left unanswered.

Emily Rose McLeod, who played Laura, made it easy to understand Laura’s fears through the way she carried herself. Throughout the play, McLeod was slouched over, typical of a shy, unconfident person as she acted as Laura. McLeod molded into the role of Laura, with what seemed like little effort.

In parts of the play, Tom, played by Justin Ringhofer, lit a real cigarette. The smell was, pleasant to some and uncomfortable to others, gave the scene a punch of reality.

The Glass Menagerie is playing in the John Wright theatre through May 14.