The Orlando Shakespeare company has been moving farther and farther away from traditional British poets.   This last production takes us even further down the road to 1937 St. Louis, and into the semi-autobiographical tale of the author himself, Tennessee Williams.   While not the happiest of plays, I have had an attraction to this story since  a young girl, probably because I too had a small obsession with miniature  horse-like figurines.   Laura is the kind of character, that young girls can  really relate to .  She lives in a fantastical dreamlike world with only the company of her menagerie and no matter how much she wishes it, never quite feels like she can fit in.    What American girl doesn't relate to that at some point or another.    To me this story was always about Laura, but the Orlando Shakes troupe brought home to me, Tom's perspective for the first time.   It really is all about him, and his feelings of being an inadequate provider for his estranged mother and sister.

In typical Orlando Shakes fashion the acting was superb.  Veteran Anne Herring led the cast as mother Amanda Wingfield and was the epitome of southern gentility and charm.  Laura was played by Katherine Michelle Tanner, who did a very respectable job as the unbearably shy sister.  I also felt an instant attraction to Brad Roller who played love interest Jim O'Connor.    The weakest actor was Jim Ireland as Tom.   He just looked and seemed way to old for the flighty melancholy brother and son.   Simply put he did not fit the part.   His acting was certainly sound and helped the story flow along effortlessly.   This is one of the first times in my history with Orlando Shakes where I truly felt they missed the mark in casting.    A younger more angsty actor would have done this play a world of good.