WOS Radio: Hill-Gibbons Brings Clarity to Glass
Last night over 100 theatregoers braved the transport troubles to join our Group Outing to see The Glass Menagerie, as
part of The Young Vic’s 40th anniversary season. Following the production we were treated to a Q&A which included not only the full cast Leo Bill,
Deborah Findlay, Sinéad Matthews, and Kyle Solle but also director (and deputy artisitic director) Joe Hill-Gibbins as well as multi-
intsrumentalist Simon Allen.
One of Tennessee Williams‘ best known and most autobiographical plays, it tells the story of a mother, son and sister, left by a father – “a telephone
man, who loved long distance” – in the midst of the Great Depression. The play is an emotional rollercoast, loaded with broad social themes, and
exploring the complexity of familial relationships.
Bringing such a well-known play to new life is a difficult task but Hill-Gibbons was happy to talk to us about why the Young Vic chose this play
(they finally got the rights) and to describe some of the process of bringing it from page to stage. The cast shared with us some of the research
they’d done into the real lives of the Williams family to better understand who these characters were and where they came from. And finally Allen
talked to us a little about the music and even about his fish bowl!
To listen to the full recording of the Q&A, click the ‘play’ button below; or to subscribe and download from iTunes, click here.
For more photos and commentary from last night’s event, visit our Outings blog and for further information and booking for upcoming Whatsonstage.com Outings, click here.
