“A Streetcar Named Desire”

**** I am pretty sure that many of you, reading this, have never seen a production of Tennessee Williams’ “A Streetcar Named Desire”. This is probably his most known and famous work and was the stepping stone for a young actor named Marlon Brando who played the male lead on Broadway back in 1947 ( 77 years ago). The film version hit the screens in 1951.

Paramount Theatre in its “Bold Series” opted to tackle this marvelous work on their Copley Theatre stage and under the brilliant direction of Jim Corti and Elizabeth Swanson, on an amazing set designed by Angela Weber Miller, we are taken to a world that most of us have never known, We are in a two room apartment in the French Quarter of New Orleans. While many audience members may have been to the area of New Orleans, I doubt that any of them would have been privy to this type of lifestyle.

The title is based on an actual streetcar line that ran through the French Quarter back when Williams was writing this play, and so we meet Blanche Dubois ( played to perfection by Amanda Drinkall) who is coming to visit her sister Stella ( (Alina Taber) and her husband Stanley ( deftly handled by Casey Hoekstra) after the loss of the family home to creditors. She has lost everything and is now dependent on her sister and brother-in-law.

Blanche doesn’t tell her sister the truth about the creditors or that she has been terminated from her position as a school teacher, but instead tells her that she has taken a leave due to some health problems. While Blanch complains about the shabbiness of her sister’s home and the fact that she finds Stanley to be loud and rough, even “common”, she takes advantage of their hospitality and Stanley’s booze.

Blanche also finds one of Satnley’s poker and bowling team buddies someone she could care for and “Mitch” ( Ben Page) is attracted to her as well. The story is tense as more is revealed and rather than ruin your experience, I can only tell you that all is not what it appears to be and the players have secrets that will come out as the two act play continues. It is a story of reality versus illusion and how one can make things seem real when in fact, they are not.

The ensemble in this production is one that makes the parts of the puzzle fit. Andrea Uppling, Joshua L. Green, Roberto Antonio Mantica, Adriel Irizarry and Desiree Gonzalez- great work!

Cat Wilson’s lighting and Forrest Gregor’s sound along with great period costumes by Mara Blumenfeld and the props assembled by Aimee Plant fill out the technical aspects of the production. The intimacy and fight director (Sarah Scanlon) created the right look. This is a smaller, more intimate space than the Paramount on the other side of the street, so very little can be hidden. The play runs close to three hours with one 15 minute intermission. There is a rape scene, but it is done with great care and should not upset you.

The BOLD Series has been, in my opinion a great success and a wonderful addition to the theater scene in Aurora. I am looking forward to the next season to see what Corti and company have in store for us.

“A Streetcar Named Desire” will continue Thru – Apr 21st with performances as follows: