La ménagerie de verre

Ivo van Hove: “La Ménagerie de verre is a key work in the oeuvre of Tennessee Williams. The play takes us to a world of gentle, vulnerable and unhappy characters. A mother, her son, and her disabled daughter lack the strength and resources to protect themselves from the harsh world around them. They retreat into their memories, an idealised past, a make-believe world. Williams’ characters are like glass toys: beautiful, but fragile. It is an artistic challenge and at the same time a dream come true to work with Isabelle Huppert on the adaptation of this most personal and autobiographical piece by Tennessee Williams.” -|- On stage, we see mother Amanda and her children Laura and Tom. Father abandoned the family fifteen years ago, but Amanda still imagines herself a ‘grande dame’. Son Tom, who fancies himself a poet, is the provider for the family. He prefers to be out rather than at home. Daughter Laura never leaves the house and plays inside with her little glass animals. Three people imprisoned by loneliness, three ways of dreaming of a different existence. The arrival of Jim O'Connor, a friend of Tom, brings hope...