“Brandhagen is exceptional in this iconic literary role; providing depth and reality to this dual character; a remarkable performance with an exceptional supporting cast...”
Reviews
‘The Glass Menagerie’ at Everyman Theatre | Amanda Gunther | DC Metro Theatre Arts
“Taking on the main role of Tom, as himself in the play and as the narrative force that guides the show, Clinton Brandhagen is a sensation beyond words. His interactions with each of the other three characters in the show are shatteringly realistic, living each moment fully and presently. He even has a casually languid relationship with the set; moving about on the fire escape as if it is his only means of escape to a world beyond what strangles his hopes and dreams.
Brandhagen draws a severe contrast between his narrative character and his ‘in-scene’ character while still maintaining a drastic similarity to them. His ability to calmly express the life he longs for is smooth and serene while his moments of emotional outburst are the extreme opposite, at the top of his lungs and emotional expressivity. His ‘warehouse’ speech, which involves a great deal of physical movement all over the interior of the set (including up on the very lovely furniture) is so raw that its bombastic and abrasive in its nature; really showing the audience the depths of his torment. Brandhagen is exceptional in this iconic literary role; providing depth and reality to this dual character; a remarkable performance with an exceptional supporting cast.”
The Glass Menagerie | Jayne Blanchard | DC Theatre Scene
“And so we succumb to the world of Tennessee Williams’ The Glass Menagerie, a world reinvented with vigor and grace in director Vincent M. Lancisi’s superbly balanced, visually and emotionally intoxicating production currently at Baltimore’s Everyman Theatre.
…It is this balance that gives the production such unexpected vivacity and pathos. Normally, you side with Tom and seethe right along with him—as magnetically portrayed by Mr. Brandhagen, he is a furious and poetic soul trapped in a factory job and tethered to a delusional magpie of a mother and an emotionally and physically crippled sister. You applaud his plunge for freedom and wonder why he didn’t flee sooner, like his father.”
The Glass Menagerie: Clear-cut gem opens Everyman Season | Anthocy C. Hayes | Baltimore Post-Examiner
“Brandhagen’s Tom was mostly measured with his stark narration – carefully capturing Wingfield’s transitory existence. Conversely, Brandhagen keenly built Tom’s re-encounters with the ghosts of his unsettled past from one of mere annoyance to a fruitless, frustrated crescendo. By the time he said, “The more you shout about my selfishness to me, the quicker I’ll go…” it was hard to blame Tom for finally walking out the door.
Together, this cast made for one spellbinding evening of theater.”
Theatre Review: ‘The Glass Menagerie’ at Everyman Theatre | Lynne Menefee | MD Theatre Guide
“Everyman Theatre opens its 2013-14 season with another production that is both beautiful in design and performance…
Clinton Brandhagen as Tom is excellent, conveying his conflicting emotions and frustrations like an animal pacing in a cage…
Everyman has done justice to this classic piece of American theater.”
‘Glass Menagerie’ subtle, affecting at Everyman | Tim Smith | The Baltimore Sun
“Director Vincent M. Lancisi approaches the material with obvious affection and draws from his beautifully matched cast unforced performances that allow words and feelings to register deeply.
…the overall impact of [Brandhagen’s] performance is considerable. He gets to the heart of the character’s frustrations with everything, the sense of being trapped by a world spinning pointlessly.”
BWW Reviews: THE GLASS MENAGERIE at Everyman Theatre is Just Plain Splendid | Charles Shubow | BroadwayWorld.com
“The cast is universally phenomenal…
Playing the role of Tom, the narrator and son, is the incomparable Clinton Brandhagen. His role runs the gamut from explaining the retelling of his family history, to the quiet son who smokes and kills time by escaping to the movies, to his histrionics in Act II when his frustration with his life explodes. It is a tour-de force.”
Amanda Wingfield, a faded Southern belle, holds tight to her two children: Tom, an aspiring poet, and Laura, his painfully shy sister. After receiving pressure from his mother, Tom brings home a gentleman caller to meet his sister. What follows is an encounter that becomes one of the most compelling and heartbreaking stories ever told. A classic of the American stage, Tennessee Williams’ deeply personal and haunting “memory play” is a touching and profound tale of love and loss, illusion and escape.
Creative Team
- Deborah Hazlett – Amanda
- Clinton Brandhagen – Tom
- Sophie Hinderberger – Laura
- Matthew Schleigh – Jim
- Tennessee Williams, Playwright
- Vincert M. Lancisi, Director
- Daniel Ettinger, Scenic Design
- Jay Herzog, Lighting Design
- Julie Heneghan, Costume Design
- Chas Marsh, Sound Design
- Anne Nesmith, Wig Design
- Jillian Matthews, Props Master
- Naomi Greenberg-Slovin, Dramaturg
- Maribeth Chaprnka, Stage Manager