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Brenda Blethyn stars in Royal Exchange’s ‘Menagerie’

March 25, 2008

Double Oscar nominee, Golden Globe and BAFTA award-winning actress Brenda Blethyn returns to Manchester’s Royal Exchange to star in one of the great roles in American drama – Amanda Wingfield – in The Glass Menagerie by Tennessee Williams from Wednesday 9 April to Saturday 24 May 2008.

With big screen successes including Little Voice (Academy Award nomination), Secrets and Lies (Golden Globe and BAFTA award for Best Actress and Academy Award nomination), Saving Grace and Pride and Prejudice, her previous stage credits for the Royal Exchange include A Doll’s House and An Ideal Husband.

Numerous TV credits include Outside Edge, Grown Ups and Buddah Of Suburbia. Other recent stage work includes Habeas Corpus (Donmar), Mrs Warren’s Profession (Strand Theatre) and Night Mother (New York). She also recently starred in an Australian production of Alan Bennett’s Talking Heads, directed by Royal Exchange founding Artistic Director Braham Murray who also directs this new production of Tennessee Williams’ classic play.

A poetic and soulful evocation of the pains of growing up in a material world, The Glass Menagerie is set in 1930s St Louis and drawn from the memories of narrator, Tom Wingfield. Tom’s mother, Amanda, was once the most popular girl in town with the pick of eligible bachelors – but she picked the wrong one.

Now, years later, she is desperate for her grown up children to avoid her own mistakes. Dreaming of ways to improve the lot of a son who’s rarely home and a daughter who rarely isn’t, Amanda longs for a gentleman caller who can transform everything.

Mark Arends, who plays Tom Wingfield, has previous Royal Exchange credits which include Henry V and What Every Woman Knows. Other recent stage work includes Early Bird (Royal Court), May Queen (Liverpool Everyman) and Marianne Dreams (Almeida). Emma Hamilton, who plays Laura Wingfield, has credits which include Northanger Abbey for Salisbury Playhouse and the feature film Churchill At War. Andrew Langtree, who plays gentleman caller Jim O’Connor, was seen recently in The Rose Tattoo at the National Theatre and has recent TV credits which include Heartbeat and Doctors.

The creative is team also includes Simon Higlett (Design), Johanna Town (Lighting), Pete Rice (Sound), Akintayo Akinbode (Composer) and Julia Wilson-Dickson (Dialect Coach).

The Royal Exchange Theatre Presents
The Glass Menagerie by Tennessee Williams
Directed by Braham Murray
Designed by Simon Higlett
The Royal Exchange Theatre, Manchester

Wednesday 9 April to Saturday 24 May.
Evening Performance Times: Monday – Friday, 7.30pm and Saturday, 8.00pm
Matinee Performance Times: Wednesday, 2.30pm and Saturday, 4.00pm

Ticket Prices: £8.50- £28.00 (Concessions Available)

-Glenn Meads

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