Northampton Community Colleges Theatre Departments melancholy production of Tennessee Williams classic play "The Glass Menagerie" is anchored by a talented cast and strong direction.
The play in Norman R. Roberts Lab Theatre, Northampton Community College, Bethlehem through March 6, resonates as it illuminates the complexities of Williams fragile characters, all trapped by their memories.
Laura Sweeney Riker is desperately determined as the aging Southern belle and matriarch Amanda Wingfield, who swings between disappointment with her painfully shy daughter, Laura, and a single-minded focus to find a future for her.
Amanda is obsessed by regrets of all the rich men she could have married, and Riker manages to make Amanda both charming and grating as she holds court over an ill-advised dinner, at which she hopes to find a mate for her daughter. 
Shannon Callaghan is luminously wide-eyed but painfully withdrawn as Amandas physically and emotionally disabled daughter, and physically pulls away from every relationship in her life, except for her collection of glass animals. Callaghan has an open expressive face across which travels a whole range of emotions from hope to dread.
Cade Kocher oozes frustration as Amandas son, Tom, who also acts as narrator. Tom begrudgingly supports his family by working at a factory, a job he despises and dreams of escaping.
Kocher conveys a barely restrained intensity as he haunts movie theaters, searching for way out. But he is all too aware that seeking happiness means abandoning his mother and sister, like his father before.
When Tom brings a co-worker home as a potential suitor for Laura, it shatters the familys delicate balance.
Aidan King is understatedly charming as Jim OConnor, who yearns for his high school glory days, while planning for the future that isnt quite what he planned.
His mix of pragmatism and a poignant awareness of Lauras vulnerability force the emotional climax of the play when he suddenly kisses Laura in a heartrending moment.
Clair M. Freemans direction is crisp and polished and he uses the intimate setting of Norman R. Roberts Lab Theatre, to bring the audience into the Wingfields claustrophobic parlor.
Costume designer D. Polly Kendrick has done an admirable job, particularly outfitting Amanda in an outdated party dress that perfectly represents her memories of distant times that no longer fit her current life. By contrast, Jim OConnors outfit is dapper and stylish.
Scenic designer Brett Oliveira has created a moody set that has a curtain that is constantly being drawn and opened, obscuring and revealing scenes.
Performances are 7:30 p.m. March 3, 4, 6 and 2 p.m. March 5.
Tickets are $5. Students with a valid NCC ID can attend for free with a donation of a non-perishable food item for NCC's HOPE Food Pantry for students.
For information, call 484-484-3412 or go to ncctix.org.