‘A Streetcar Named Desire’ by Tennessee Williams
Pitlochry Festival Theatre - 22/06/2023
Pitlochry this season have chosen to take on two American classics.’ Gypsy’ and ‘Streetcar named Desire’. A terrific and daunting move. My initial thoughts were ‘Can they pull it off?’ and the answer is ‘Yes, they can’. Having seen Scottish Ballet’s wonderful dance interpretation recently it was time to see the play itself.
Having enjoyed a matinee of ‘Brief Encounter’, a meal and a break in the fresh air around this beautiful theatre on the River Tay, clutching my programme in my hand, I was amazed and delighted to see that both leads in the matinee show were also playing the leading roles in this demanding classic by Tennessee Williams. The play is considered one of the finest plays of the 20th Century. Having seen Claire Bloom’s take of the part of Blanche Dubois at the Piccadilly Theatre in 1974, with Martin Shaw and Joss Ackland, and again in Trevor Nunn’s production with Glen Close in 2002, let alone the 1951 film with Vivian Leigh and Marlon Brando, I wondered how Kirsty Stuart would succeed in this demanding role. On stage for most of the action, she brought a whole new understanding to the role. Not a drooping southern belle but a nervous, neurotic woman who is slowly descending into desperation and madness.
I recently read Dominic Dromgoole’s fabulous book ‘Astonish Me! First Nights that Changed the World’. He recounts the difficult birth of the first production. Jessica Tandy playing Blanche wandered around the stage, vaguely not indicating whether she knew her lines, Brando mumbled his way through and Williams predicted a disaster. Amazingly it all came together, and they waltzed through the late-night streets celebrating. This was the birth of a work of genius which still resonates today.
Director Elizabeth Newman has given us a firecracker of a production. The revolving set with a spiral staircase evokes the heat of the deep south. (A very quick get out and get in for the production team.) It sparkles with energy. Never once to you lose sense of the action. She draws stellar performances from all the cast. Especially moving is Nalini Chetty as Stella, particularly in her conversations with Blanche. Matthew Trevannion is a violent and controlling Stanley, enjoying giving Brando a run for his money. As a member of the audience said to me ‘It is a hard watch’ but worth it. The audience rose to their feet at the curtain call which says it all.
