Glass Guignol: The Brother and Sister Play
About the show
The newest work from storied experimental theater collective Mabou Mines is inspired by the complex relationship between Tennessee Williams and his sister Rose. More…
Framed through Williams’ 'The Two Character Play,' and interwoven with iconic narrative from many other Williams plays, short stories and poems, 'Glass Guignol' invites us to explore the constellation of questions this fascinating and troubled writer raises through a kaleidoscope of identities, histories, and secrets. Both metaphoric and literal, 'Glass Guignol' explores the nature of the creative process, its triumphs…and its terrors. Indeed, a puppet version of Mary Shelley, who knows a thing or two about fear and monsters, offers real-time commentary via texting.
“The moments that this production chose to highlight from these various works revealed a story that I had not previously considered...A truly smart and performatively engaging work...If you are a fan of experimental theatre, Williams, amazing puppets, and/or plays that deal with mental health in a nuanced way, then this one is for you. And even if you aren’t very familiar with Williams’s work, I still firmly believe that this journey into the darkness of the looking glass is for you.” Full Review
"Despite its fits of humor and flashes of ingenuity and borrowings from 'Frankenstein,' it rarely feels alive...In stitching so many of these plays together, Mabou Mines uncovers the deep structures underlying them...Though the ideas underpinning 'Glass Guignol' are shrewd, the biographical context wrenching, the staging seemingly audacious, the play itself is often inert...This is shock treatment with a low current." Full Review
See it if ...you admire risk in the theater, or like irreverent but loving mash-ups of the classics -- in this case Tennessee Williams & Mary Shelley.
Don't see it if ...you only like traditionally made plays or can't abide stretches of confusion, waiting for it all to click in -- it does & does not..
Also I loved this more than I thought I would. It is pretty quirky, & I hav... Read more Read less
See it if you are interested in a deconstruction of Tennessee Williams' TWO-CHARACTER PLAY, GLASS MENAGERIE and a few others.
Don't see it if you have a short attention span or require a more traditional "play".
See it if If you like east village anent garde type of a show. Adaptation of Tennessee Williams glass menagerie. Had some entertainment too it.
Don't see it if Avante garde type shows, like theatre, or film noir is not for everyone. This show can escape you in a second.
See it if You're on some sort of hallucinogenic drugs that can transform a piece of art from indulgent and cliche to brilliance??
Don't see it if You are a normal functioning human being who likes good things and dislikes bad ones.
Also WAY too long. Had it been 30 minutes I would have waved it off as sill... Read more Read less
See it if you love Tennessee Williams and you like direction that illuminates sometimes even astonishes and unforgettable acting
Don't see it if you have no interest in Williams or engaging something mysterious
Cast & Creatives (23)
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