BWW Reviews: Get Off at the Next Stop For A STREETCAR NAMED DESIRE

Colorful light bulbs hang from the stairwell beside the home of Stanley and Stella Kowalski - an omnipresent sign that New Orleans is a colorful city alight with parties. When those bulbs are off, however, they stand as an even more daunting reminder that life isn't always Mardi Gras.

Tennessee William's classic Streetcar Named Desire is wrought with hardship and heartache. Often connected with the 1951 film, American Players Theatre's latest production is much more complex. Set in the summer of 1963 (instead of the play's original timeline in 1947) gives the show more emphasis on its thematic elements. This is particularly true with the concept of change as the civil rights movement was raging and there was a major revitalization of the South. Director William Brown's clever choice to push the show forward by nearly two decades gives his performers a larger scope with which to develop their characters in respect to the larger world around them.

Blanche DuBois, for example, is desperate to find renewed hope and solace in the home of her sister Stella and flees their lavish childhood home, Belle Reeve, in Mississippi. Stella and her new husband Stanley live in a dilapidated apartment in the heart of the French Quarter, but believe that their perseverance will result in better things. When hot-headed Stanley pins himself against Blanche the home becomes a hell for all three of them. All three desire change in their lives, but each struggles with letting go of the past to make room for the positive.

APT core company actress Tracy Michelle Arnold dutifully undertakes the role of Blanche. Arnold's careful depiction of Blanche's deteriorating sanity as well as her manipulative nature are well balanced. Even in moments of unadulterated lucidity, when Blanche can be her cruelest, Arnold's sincerity shines. The play's protagonist can muster sympathy from even the least sympathetic audience member.

While off-stage husband and wife duo Eric Parks (a wholly unsympathetic Stanley) and Christina Panfilio (Stella) make for a stark contrast on stage. When the two lovers are hot and heavy the chemistry is undeniable. But, especially knowing that the two have a life together outside of the theatre, Stanley's abusive tendencies are even harder to watch. Parks' unbridled rage is disturbing in the best possible way. He has a grasp of Stanley's primitive side and barely eases out of his trance even when he is attempting to woo his Stella back into submission. While Panfilio's meandering the line between obedient housewife and free spirited young woman make Stella far more interesting than in other productions of Streetcar. This 'either or' mentality is furthered by costume designer Rachel Anne Healy's crop top and short shorts ensemble for Stella. She appears to others to be assimilating to the changing times - but her home life is always a reminder that things (and oftentimes people) aren't so easily changed.

Change is often difficult to attain and is only possible when those who attempt it are able to see its need in the world. This need is rooted in differentiating between reality and fiction - something that Blanche finds herself unable to do. She is not unlike the other citizens of Williams' pre-Katrina New Orleans who exist in the dichotomy of the real world and pre-Lenten celebrations. They must see the difference between the mask that they wear in the streets and the face that looks them in the bathroom mirror each morning. As Streetcar perfectly demonstrates, it isn't always easy to make that distinction and oftentimes it's too painful to accept.

Or, Blanche would say, "I don't want realism, I want magic."

 

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