A Streetcar Named Desire at The Genesian Theatre: Review by Cynthia Ning
It has been over 75 years since its on-stage debut and excited fans have flocked to The Genesian Theatre with wine and time to indulge in Tennessee Williams’ Pulitzer Prize-winning play, A Streetcar Named Desire.
With only a few empty seats between us and guests squeezing to their designated location, we see Eunice Hubbel (Rosie Daly) with the local flower seller (Jenny Jacobs) sitting on the house steps in vintage patterned dresses and hairdos having a friendly conversation.
The stage set was open for everyone to see. The bare bones exterior, and cramped rooms filled to the brim with furniture felt crowded and cluttered, giving off the illusion of a small household in New Orleans. A life far away from the one Blanche DuBois (Georgia Britt) knew and the reality hit her. With the help of some cabinet liquor, she delivered her quick-witted lines effortlessly and captivated the audience with her humour. Stella Kowalski (Ali Bendall) is bubbly and caring as she greets her sister warmly but cautiously and their different personality traits begin to show.
Stanley Kowalski (Riley McNamara) had little time for greetings and even less patience towards Blanche. There was good physicality and interaction with the props in the limited space, especially when holding onto Stella in moments of weakness. I would encourage him to be more menacing and intimidating with his vocal tone and range to play off the different faces we see of Stanley.
The small touches of liquor in the glass tumblers to the little radio and ceiling lights that dimmed at night, revealed glimpses of intimate and happy moments of Blanche who shone with her bright dresses as everyone faded into the blue-lit background. The connected staircase leading upwards, and the open back wall revealing passers-by, was a clever touch to show who would walk into Blanche’s life next.
With such a bold personality, it is no wonder she caught the eye of Harold Mitchell (Matthew Dohetry) the soft-spoken yet broken man with hopes that their lives will turn out for the better as long as they had each other. That is until Blanche’s past catches up to her and secrets begin to spill from her lips and her mind.
The first act is text heavy and has a slow pace to allow character building and back matter to show Blanche’s descent into madness but picks up in the second act with high stake scenes involving arguments and acts of violence being safely done. The demands from the unravelling and delicate Blanche revealed the strained relationship between the sisters threatening to break under the ongoing abuse from Stanley as his well-meaning poker friends Steve (Patrick Gallagher) and Pablo (Shaun Loratet) can only look on and stay silent in the matters of the family.
Everyone seemed to be out there for themselves with their own agenda and played the role of the villain, often more than once by showing their true colours and motives. Only a liar can spot another liar. But little help was offered to the fragmented Blanche until the very end where Tom Massey makes a surprise appearance as the Doctor speaking softly and gently offers his hand towards her as she gingerly leaves with him and earnestly speaks of, ‘relying on the kindness of strangers’, walking out of the last home she will live with her family in.
The sombre themes of domestic violence, mental health, toxic masculinity and independence as a woman in a man’s world was showcased well, keeping true to the original material. It is a classic play worth the watch as a live performance with this lovely cast.
Photos by: Luke Holland www.instagram.com/lsh_media
