The Glass Menagerie

In The Glass Menagerie, the events are framed by the memories of Tom, author Tennessee William's double. Despite the autobiographical elements of the play, what’s really at stake in Williams’ art is the transfiguration of reality. Through poetry, the author shares his characters’ resistance. Laura, the sister, takes refuge in an inner world. Tom is always "at the movies" or involved in secret adventures. Amanda, the mother, locks herself in an ideal past. To Ivo van Hove, the fragility of this family is also the flip side of the harshness of the 1930s. This production, interrupted twice before being revived this season, marks his encounter with Isabelle Huppert who plays Amanda in all her resilience.