The Glass Menagerie by Tennessee Williams

Tennessee Williams' 1944 debut of The Glass Menagerie, a memory play, propelled him from obscurity to renown. This is one of the Best Plays Of All Times. Strong autobiographical elements are present in the play, which includes characters that are modeled after the playwright, his theatrical mother, and his mentally ill sister. This piece takes a gentle sliver of a narrative and transforms it into something magical, whereas some of his other plays go further in terms of bending stage traditions or addressing more serious topics. Williams drew inspiration for the play from a previous short tale as well as a screenplay he had created under the working title The Gentleman Caller.

1944 saw the play's Chicago premiere. After a rocky beginning, Chicago critics Ashton Stevens and Claudia Cassidy supported it, and their passion helped draw spectators so the play's producers could transfer it to Broadway, where it received the 1945 New York Drama Critics' Circle Award. Williams' first well-received play, The Glass Menagerie, set him on the path to becoming one of the most admired playwrights in America.

Written by: Tennessee Williams
Created: 1944