A Streetcar Named Desire
Tennessee Williams is perhaps the best-known American playwright of the 20th Century. Famous for plays like The Glass Menagerie, Sweet Bird of Youth, The Rose Tattoo, Suddenly Last Summer, Cat on a Hot Tine Roof and many more including the seminal A Streetcar Named Desire, he is indeed a prolific playwright.
A Streetcar Named Desire was first performed in 1947. It is a classic American play that unfolds in the vibrant and tumultuous setting of New Orleans. The story revolves around Blanche DuBois, a fragile and troubled woman who moves in with her sister, Stella, and her brother-in-law, Stanley Kowalski. As the dynamics between the characters develop, the play explores themes of sex and gender roles, mental instability, and mortality in the face of the gritty realities of the post-World War II era.
Set against the backdrop of a gritty New Orleans neighbourhood serviced by the streetcar named ‘Desire’, the play captures the heat, sensuality, and social tensions of the time and place. The sultry atmosphere intensifies the conflict between Blanche’s illusions of grandeur and Stanley’s raw, primal force and has had a significant impact on American theatre and culture.
It has been adapted into multiple film and television productions, with the 1951 film directed by Elia Kazan starring Vivien Leigh as Blanche and Marlon Brando as Stanley earning critical acclaim. The enduring relevance of the play lies in its exploration of universal themes and its iconic characters that continue to resonate with audiences today.
Australian Director Benedict Andrews has wrung every emotion from Williams’ script and created a masterpiece of stage and cinematic storytelling. The rotating set (designed by Magda Willi) is sparse and comparatively modern, and the lighting (designed by Jon Clark) reveals every winkle and shadow of the Kowalski house and its inhabitants. Every word of Williams’ play is clear (even with Blanche’s thick Southern accent). One feels for every character no matter how shallow and vein they seem.
The ambience of the play is accentuated by Paul Arditti’s sound design, Alex Baranowski’s music and Bret Yount’s ultra realistic fight/violence scenes. It is a nice touch to have the actors manage the set changes.
Gillian Anderson delivers a faultless performance as Blanche DuBois! Onstage for over 90% of the play, her character gradually decays into a shell of her former self. She begins in glowing beige, carrying her Louis Vuitton bag, exuding superiority and yet, as her incessant drinking makes clear, she is just holding things together.
Anderson gives us the sense that she is teetering on the brink between self-delusion and mental collapse. She flaunts her barely dressed body with childish pride and reaches out to Mitch, suggesting that one damaged person attracts another. Anderson not only captures the character's vanity, but also her essential solitude. Her last scene in which she accepts the need for professional help and protection is memorable.
Ben Foster’s Stanley Kowalski is a sweaty and tattooed. He exudes the impression that he’s an unbelievably bad man to cross. He is a man’s man, most at home when he’s playing cards with his mates, proud and ready for a fight. It’s not a comfortable place for his pregnant wife to be. The scene near the end of the play when he takes Blanche into the bedroom and covers her face with her dress before having his way with her is confronting.
Vanessa Kirby’s Stella Kowalski is trapped between her love for Stanley when they are alone together and how he behaves in front of other people. She is living in the middle of domestic violence but seems unable to escape, but does she even want to? She is the peacemaker between Stanley and Blanche which is sometimes successful, but mostly not.
Corey Johnson’s Mitch is looking for love and unfortunately sets his sights on Blanche, who is too damaged and above his social circle. The union is destined for failure. Johnson’s confessions of over-sweating and his social awkwardness are highlights of his character portrayal.
These four actors are supported by an amazing cast - Clare Burt, Lachele Carl, Branwell Donaghey, Otto Farrant, Nicholas Gecks, Troy Glascow, Stephanie Jacob and Claire Prempeh. When not performing, they are changing the set.
This production reminds us that neither idealism nor brute materialism are a good guide to living, however it allows us to sympathise completely with both the perpetrator of sexual violence and his victim. There is a cruel streak running through the story, however, Williams’ script gives voice to the tender side of masculinity as well as its toxicity, and to female strength as well as vulnerability.
A Streetcar Named Desire is a remarkable piece of theatre. It is a faithful rending of Williams’ script with a touch of modern sensibilities and riveting to watch. An emotional roller coaster, it leaves the audience exhausted after sharing the lives of these highly dysfunctional individuals. The National Theatre have created a seminal work that will live on long after viewing! Highly recommended!
Barry Hill OAM
Photography Johan Persson
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