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Dario Marianelli, Composer for The Glass Menagerie
Dario Marianelli, Composer for The Glass Menagerie

WOS Radio: Edward Seckerson Talks to Dario Marianelli

Date: 9 November 2010

Dario Marianelli won an Oscar and a Golden Globe for his score for the movie Atonement and his return to the theatre after a long absence as composer for the Young Vic's new production of Tennessee Williams' first big Broadway success The Glass Menagerie is hotly anticipated.

Edward Seckerson ventured into the rehearsal room to talk to him about the intricate process that marries music to drama, be it on celluloid or stage. He talks about what fires his imagination and how, for instance, a typewriter (in Atonement) or a piano (in Pride and Prejudice) might unlock the colour and character of a score.

Williams' plays - and especially this one generally accepted now as autobiographical - are rooted in reality but rich in poetic imagery, a kind of heightened dream world. In this case Laura's little glass animals point to her fragility and vulnerability. Director Joe Hill-Gibbons believes that this character and this play are the closest we ever get to Tennessee Williams' inner world.

Marianelli has been lucky with Joes - Joe Wright (for Pride and Prejudice and Atonement) opened more doors for him in Hollywood; Joe Hill-Gibbons has lured him back to where the music will be live and integral to the on-stage drama. Think glass, think improvised percussion, think sound effects... It's unusual for a composer to be so much a part - hands on, in every respect - of the rehearsal process. What has he come up with? Click and listen...

To listen to the interview, click the 'play' button below; or to subscribe and download from iTunes, click here.


The Glass Menagerie opens at the Young Vic from 17 November 2010 (previews from 11 November) until 1 January 2011.

- by Edward Seckerson

Related Content

Booking Tickets & Show Listings
The Glass Menagerie Listing Page
Internal Links
1st Night Photos: Bee Buzzes into Donmar - 21st Feb 2011 photos
Hill-Gibbins & Co Reflect on Glass at Outing Q&A - 30th Nov 2010 blog
WOS Radio: Hill-Gibbons Brings Clarity to Glass - 30th Nov 2010 news
Deborah Findlay On ... Tennessee Williams’ Southern Belles - 29th Nov 2010 interviews
Plays Extend: Young Menagerie, Wilde Husband - 24th Nov 2010 news
Casting Announced for Donmar Bee & Moonlight - 19th Nov 2010 news
Review Round-up: Critics Fete Menagerie Climax - 19th Nov 2010 roundup
The Glass Menagerie starstarstarstar - 18th Nov 2010 reviews
Cast: Findlay in Menagerie, Orange, Jermyn Play - 30th Sep 2010 news


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