Video transcript: Arthur Miller’s play Broken Glass is one that doesn’t get staged very often, and usually, there are a couple of reasons for that.
It could be that it’s problematic, or it could be that it’s just overlooked. And I think it’s definitely the latter.
With this production at the Young Vic, it is set in America, but in the lead-up to the Second World War, and a woman has lost all feeling in her legs.
And the doctor can’t find any physical reason for this, so starts exploring the psychological reason behind it, which involves delving into her past, her life, and her relationship with her husband in particular.
And with a modern lens, it exposes the patriarchal structures that restricted women at that time. It also exposes the abuse of power.
There’s an element of misogyny in there, and how her husband treats her under the guise of love. It’s a particularly toxic relationship in many respects.
The lighting is very stark in places, very clinical. It’s quite exposing as an audience member.
I did have some problems with the script in that there are times when it feels like the conversations are going over and over, the same point and different people having conversations about the same thing.
Some conversations just overstay their welcome.
So even though it’s two hours straight through, there are elements I probably, I think, could probably be trimmed back a little bit.
But I thought it was good. It’s an interesting play, and it’s good to get a chance to see this, not very often, staged Arthur Miller play.
Broken Glass, Young Vic Theatre
Written by Arthur Miller
Directed by Jordon Fein
Cast: Nancy Carroll, Pearl Chanda, Juliet Cowan, Eli Gelb, Alex Waldmann and Nigel Whitmey
Running time: 2 hours
Booking until 18 April, 2026; for more information and to buy tickets visit the Young Vic website
Star rating ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
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