STREETCAR With Gillian Anderson Streams Today 5/21

[CT2NYC]

2 p.m. ET, available until 5/28.

 

[Bettyboy72]

She was stunning. So glad I got to watch it. The final moments are a master class.

[Luscious]

Loved this production! Gillian Anderson gave an astonishing performance!

[NOWaWarning]

Just finished this. I LOVED Gillian, but could not figure out what Ben Foster was going for with Stanley.

[goodlead]

Gillian was too strong as Blanche.  She was just itching to mix it up with Stanley from the beginning.  And what were all those intervals between scenes doing?

[nasty_khakis]

I saw it at St Anne's and didn't care for the production at all. I found the staging distracting, confusing, and a gimmick, not a device that helped tell the story. I didn't understand why it was set "now" but all the references were squarely in 1940-- paper boys, telegrams, drug stores, etc. Foster leans so heavy into the character but only in the ways Blanche says about him to demean him, mostly his animal nature. I always think an actor should use what other characters say about him to find the character, but he and the director really seem to think Stanley is an ape with no dignity. I heavily respect Anderson as an actress and there's clearly a smart performance there, but she ARRIVES full-tilt crazy and desperate for booze giving her nowhere to build to. Maybe it was too close to seeing Cate Blanchette give a Blanche for the ages BAM only a few years previously, but I kept thinking how Blanche has already completely lost it and isn't even really attempting any veneer of stability, charm, or grace.

[ColorTheHours048]

Thought this was a thrilling production from start to finish when I saw it at St. Ann’s. The kind of full throttle energy I love seeing in a performance. Gillian Anderson, in particular, vibrates with a tangible, raw energy that’s really incredible to watch.

The production translates well to the screen, and what was lost in missing out on seeing the stage constantly shifting is made up for in a microscopic view of every emotional beat. I’m so glad they made this available.

[bwayobsessed]

Really brilliant. So wish I could’ve seen this live because it’s really three powerhouse performances that bring really dynamic choices to the main trio. I found a strength in Stella and a sensibility to Stanley that I hadn’t felt in my previous experiences with the piece. I found Anderson’s arc masterful as she at first effortlessly creates fantasy and gradually loses control. I also found the spinning skeletal set very effective and thought the camera work was rather amazing for a show that was definitely hard to film. Catch it while you can!

[bear88]

I've never seen the play before in any form so I don't have any reference points. This was quite an introduction. While I didn't love the rotating set that blocked my view too often, all for the sake of illustrating Blanche's world spinning out of control, Gillian Anderson brings an intensity to the character that starts high and only ratchets up from there. She's exhausting even to watch.

[Sally Durant Plummer]

I wish the BAM production starring Cate Blanchett was available to watch. Despite a few minor quibbles with the directing (a cutting of the script) it's the best of the major productions I've seen. Blanchett was stunning and her Stanley was unconventional yet thrilling. 

I didn't care for this production at St. Anne's. The director had a vision, but I didn't think it particularly fit with the piece (if you're going to use music to address Blanche's psyche, shouldn't you use Nina Simone, Joni Mitchell, or even Lana Del Rey before digging into punk rock?). Anderson is wonderful actress, but she's not the Blanche Williams wrote. It's still entertaining to watch her though cause she's just so good. It's just weird with the dialogue as written - it wasn't played as if the director was trying to make a statement with the fact that Anderson was often behaving against the text so it was just distracting. And the Louis Vuitton luggage set made me lol. I remember really liking Kirby as Stella - she was my favorite actress in this production.

This is my favorite play of all time. I even got to direct a production (a very art school production, haha) during my time at NYU. So it's always nice to have a new production available to see.

[brettystar]

So much yelling.  Perhaps it was better to see it in the theatre than on screen but I had to keep turning the volume down again.... and again.  

I still enjoyed it and appreciated Anderson's performance on some level - but could have done without the relentless yelling of almost every other line.  

[Dollypop]

This is probably my favorite play and saw it when it was shown in the cinemas. My only gripe was in Stella's costuming. Yes, she's a lusty woman, but she was raised as a Southern Belle. He clothes in this production were downright trashy.