Theatre Review - A STREETCAR NAMED DESIRE - THE PEOPLE'S THEATRE, NEWCASTLE

Kay Edmundson as Stella & Sarah Scott as Blanche

Most people are familiar with Tennessee Williams’ tale of desire, violence and madness. Faded southern belle Blanche is forced, by her inability to face reality, to live with her sister Stella. Blanche’s feigned gentility violently clashes with Stella’s husband Stanley and his animal vitality - leading to a dark, unnerving conclusion.

 

Kay Edmundson as Stella & Steven Arran as Stanley

Directors Kaila Moyers and Jonathan Goodman, with the aid of Tennessee, will take you on a journey into a dark corner of New Orleans. The stage is filled with smoke, and lighting is subdued, giving the feeling of oppressive heat. At times you find yourself surrounded by the Ensemble (Catalina Gallego Anex, Udayvir Gurjar, Lukas Cordes, Alex Burns and Will Moffat), as they go about everyday life selling their wares. It did make the production feel more immersive; however, there was the odd occasion when it distracted from the emotional scene unveiling on stage. The whole design of the show both invites you in and unnerves you. The lighting (designed by Claire Brissenden) helped the audience lean into the feelings and emotions on stage with occasional projections also highlighting character explanations. The costumes (by Sarah Pearson) fit the characters and actors well. Special attention was clearly paid to Blanche’s outfits, which seemed to highlight her character’s mental state – with clothes not always fitting her situation, but showing her childish love of beautiful things. The more ‘spicy’ moments felt authentic, which is testament to the hard work of the actors and Intimacy Coordinator (Sarah McLane).

This roles in this show must have been more than a little daunting for all the actors as it calls not only for them to plumb the depths of emotion, but also to enact expertly choreograph fight and love scenes. Eunice Hubbell (Alison Carr) and Steve Hubbell (Jonathon Goodman) provided some much needed humour as they play out their own fiery relationship upstairs. Harold ‘Mitch’ Mitchell (Sam Burrell), who is almost taken in by Blanche, is played with an empathetic nature - contrasting with the other men around, until he learns the truth. This allows us to see why Blanche hides from reality, as it is always too harsh and violent for her. Speaking of which, Blanche DuBois (Sarah Scott) is skilfully played as a woman on the edge, trying to smile through considerable pain. Stanley Kowalski (Steven Arran) was the perfect tone of toxic masculinity, unfeeling about the pain caused to those around him as long as he still feels like a man. The chemistry between Stanley and Stella is key and was pitch-perfect in this production. Stella Kowalski (Kay Edmundson), Blanche’s sister, moves with perfect precision from optimistic, matter of fact new bride, to hopeless, fearful wife as her husband’s temper becomes a bigger part of her life. Kay Edmundson’s accent was near flawless, as was her performance.

A extraordinary production that will have you gasping for breath, A Streetcar Named Desire is on at the People’s Theatre until 7^th  October 2023.