Mother, Myth, or Monster: Gypsy’s Momma Rose and The Glass Menagerie’s Amanda Wingfield from 1945 to 2015

Abstract

There are some musicals and some plays that never seem to die. Their popularity is so great that Broadway continues to present revival after revival. Gypsy and The Glass Menagerie are two of these favorite classics. There is a strong mother in each of these works and her characterization and position in the story deeply affects the action and tone of each work. This study searches for evidence of a deep appreciation of each woman, especially in terms of being a mother, and how is that affected by the time and its collective memory of each production? By examining three productions of each work during the period from 1945 to 2015 this thesis explores if the greater awareness of the “point of view of women” over the years since The Glass Menagerie and Gypsy first appeared has affected how these mothers are portrayed by actresses or received by critics and audiences through the examination of the text of each work, reviews, memoirs, and related scholarly works. This study finds that Arthur Laurents’s continued creative control over productions of Gypsy until his death in 2011, with his insistence that Rose was a monster, as well as Rose’s very direct refusal to adhere to male authority, has resulted in her becoming more of a monster over the years. Amanda, who appears to fulfill more of the traditional characteristics of a “good” mother and does not engage in threatening behavior with male authority, has eventually come to be seen in a more sympathetic light. As such, they provide opportunities for greater understanding of the how the role of Mother on stage evolves and may actually contribute to our collective awareness.