2011 marks the centennial of Tennessee Williams’ birth, and there are readings and productions of “The Glass Menagerie” everywhere. But few if any will outdo the production at 1st Stage, where a balanced ensemble of actors neatly reflects Williams’ exploration of family ties. This roughly autobiographical play takes place in and near the Wingfield apartment in St. Louis before and after World War II. The narrator is Tom (Lucas Beck), a would-be writer who is forced to work in a shoe factory to bring in enough money to support his mother, Amanda Wingfield (Elizabeth Pierotti) and sister, Laura (Leigh Patton).

Tom is the de facto head of household, as his father deserted the family years earlier. But every day that he has to work at the factory angers him and alienates him from his nattering mother, whom he resents, and his sister, whom he adores. Laura, who suffered from pleurisy in high school, walks with a limp and rarely leaves the house.