Entertainment Weekly - February 24 - March 3, 2017

FEBRUARY 24/MARCH 3, 2017 EW.COM 73

often I seeGlass Menageries

that are dreamy. This is a very

tough production.

What was your first experience of

Tennessee Williams?

MANTELLO It feels like he’s been...

FIELD Always in your life?

MANTELLO Ye ah.

FIELD Well, I was doing Tennessee

Williams in high school. [Laughs]

So, in 1962. I was always attracted

to his language. I was doing

his one-act plays, and I did a scene

fromA Streetcar Named Desire.

Which scene?

FIELD The rape scene! I mean, my

God—we were in high school!

[Laughs] It was like Heidi the little

goat girl taking a stab at it. But

it didn’t matter! I was queen of the

drama department, and I told

them what I was going to do, and

that’s what I was going to do.

MANTELLO You stillare queen of

the drama department, here at

the Belasco Theatre.

Do you know what you’re doing

after the end of the run?

FIELD I’m going to lay down.

Areyoustillsleepingonthefloor?

FIELD No, I have areal bed now!X

because before Laura was simply

a character who had a club foot,

a limp. That, I’m sure, is difficult

to adapt to in your life. But this is a

family that really has to deal with

some issues that are incredibly diffi-

cult at a time when no one is going

to help you, except each other.

Sally, what is the most challeng-

ing aspect of playing Amanda?

FIELD There is a mindset you

have to get into so that you have

the reins of this animal and it’s

not dragging you around behind

the wagon. Brilliant Mr. Gold has

not made it any easier! [Laughs]

In what sense?

FIELD Just in his vision, the way he

is telling the story, really being

nonlinear. It’s a constant loop of

Tom’s memories that dovetail

into each other.

Has he altered the play, or

chopped it up?

FIELD No, he’s not chopped up a

single thing. As a matter of fact,

this is probably the most accurate

production of what Tennessee

originally wrote.

MANTELLO It really plays out as a

memory play, and “memory”

is different from “dreamy.” Quite

Field and

Mantello on

stage at

the Belasco

Theatre in

The Glass

Menagerie

A FEW OF THE NOTABLE DUOS THAT HAVE

TAKEN ONAMANDAANDTOM

RELATIVE

KATHARINE

HEPBURN AND

SAM WATERSTON

1973

The film icon and

theLaw & Order

stalwart both

earned Emmy

nominations for

this TV version

(neither won).

JESSICA TANDY

AND BRUCE

DAVISON

1983

Three-time Tony

winner Tandy, the

original Blanche in

A Streetcar Named

Desire, steered her

Amanda to Broadway

at the age of 74.

JOANNE WOOD-

WARD AND

JOHN MALKOVICH

1987

This film adaptation

was directed by

Woodward’s hus-

band, Paul Newman,

and also costarred

Raiders of the Lost

Ark’s Karen Allen.

JESSICA LANGE

AND CHRISTAN

SLATER

2005

Two futureFe u d

stars—Lange and

Sarah Paulson—trod

the Broadway boards

with Slater (and

Josh Lucas as the

Gentleman Caller).

CHERRY JONES

AND ZACHARY

QUINTO

2013

After leading a

Broadway produc-

tion withStar Trek’s

Quinto, Jones is

now reprising her

role in London

(through April 29).

IT’S ALL

WATERSTON AND HEPBURN: ABC PHOTO ARCHIVES/GETTY IMAGES; TANDY AND DAVISON, WOODWARD AND MALKOVICH: PHOTOFEST (2);LANGE AND SLATER: BRUCE GLIKAS/FILMMAGIC; JONES AND QUINTO: SARA KRULWICH/

THE NEW YORK TIMES

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