”A Streetcar Named Desire”, a review

Pam Harbaugh

Florida Today

A languid, melancholy tune saunters into the darkened auditorium. Slowly, lights come up on the stage and we see billowing steam rising behind a ramshackle apartment on the bad side of town. A drunkard loiters in the alley. A pair of slovenly women sit on a staircase and fan themselves against the growing heat and humidity of New Orleans. In walks Blanche DuBois, the vision of a genteel lady of years gone by. Obviously from out of town, this Southern belle says she is looking for Elysian Fields. The women laugh and tell her she has found it.

But rather than what the name implies in Greek mythology -- the afterlife paradise for the righteous awaiting admittance into heaven -- what Blanche has found is the waiting room for her own hell.

This is the opening scene in Tennessee Williams' Pulitzer Prize winning drama, "A Streetcar Named Desire." And it makes a rare appearance on Brevard stages thanks to an unflinching production by the Henegar Center for the Arts.

There are, of course, many apparent themes in "A Streetcar Named Desire." Unlike the gossamer delicacy in his dialogue, Williams was not known to contemporary audiences for his subtlety in symbolism. The stage directions in his drama "The Glass Menagerie" (never used in the original 1946 Broadway production) at one time fresh and inventive, now seem, well, corny.

Here, in order to get to these Elysian Fields in the French Quarter, people must first ride the Desire line streetcar then transfer to the Cemeteries line (recurring lust/death motif). Blanche and Stella have lost their ancestral home, Belle Reve (French for "beautiful dream"). A recurring poker game advances the themes of deceit, victor and vanquished. Stanley famously yells heavenward for "Stella" (Italian for "star") who descends back into the arms of her husband.

Directed by Susan Teplica, the production is intelligently and artistically crafted and shows keen insight into the characters' inner lives. She brings fresh faces to the stage and pulls out enlightened performances from her cast. However, Teplica might reconsider the sudden black outs and the placement of the poker table, which too often becomes a barrier between the audience and the actors.

Scenic/lighting designer Adam Lucker establishes the play's oppressive, cruel environment, an ideal backdrop for Blanche's line "deliberate cruelty is unforgiveable." Tom Restivo's smart sound design advances the play's themes with careful attention to context and is particularly effective setting not only the mood for the audience but also gently signaling Blanche's losing her grip on reality.

Christina LaFortune turns in a bravura portrayal of Blanche. LaFortune is like that ephemeral wisp of perfume her character keeps applying -- almost floating above the stage, never touching down to reality. She clearly paints a picture of Blanche as a woman barely hanging onto sanity. She flirts and fusses in Tennessee Williams' iconic notion of a displaced Southern woman, out of step with time, as if the world has left her behind. But for all her coy deceptions, a darkness pulls her down. In LaFortune's riveting and revealing scene with a young man (Lucas Roussel) sent to collect a bill, Blanche becomes sexual aggressor and we see the demons which have led her here. Then, LaFortune shows another side of this fascinating character when she is finally confronted by Mitch (a wonderful Pete Jacobsen).

As the rough-hewn working class Stanley, stage newcomer Mike Roy proves he is an important addition to Brevard's talent pool. As any stage artist must do, he takes chances in his role and shows sensitivity to it. However, Roy's good looks and gentlemanly character gets in the way. He needs to get a bit more comfortable in being brutal in his role, (He also needs to clear up his diction and stage movement.)

Rachel Greshes gives flesh and blood to her portrayal of Stella. When Stanley says to her that she loved it when he pulled her down from her pedestal, she responds with sensuality and desire for her man. Pete Jacobsen is an ideal choice for the role of Mitch and brings a pure center of goodness and vulnerability.

The biggest concern for the production is, ironically, the venue that gave it life. With a stage nearly as wide as the house, you get a little bit of a tennis-court effect. For dramas that deal so intensely with psychological reality and clash of contrasts, the visual life of the production needs to be "brought in" to have sharp focus. Think of it as funneling the audience's attention to specific moments on the stage.

Pulling in the set to force characters to be physically closer would add tension. And, focusing lights onto more delineated acting spaces (rather than having the brightest light up stage right) would also sharpen the focus.

And a final word about race. Director Teplica employed "color blind casting" when she put Michael Roy, who is African American, into the role of Stanley Kowalski, a Polish man. Many lines refer to his being Polish. It is minor, because at the heart of the references is the idea that Blanche doesn't understand why Stella has lowered herself to marry a man she considers an animal. Lines like those said to a white man would be intellectually understood, but not emotionally absorbed by a contemporary audience. Here, with Roy in the role, the lines sink deep and we are moved to understand more about the character and why, perhaps, he is the way he is.

It shows that a classic work is, indeed by definition, universal.

This is such a fine, fine drama. What an opportunity to see it come to life on our own stages. The cast and crew at the Henegar have tackled it with intelligence and heart. We only hope that with this production of "A Streetcar Named Desire," the Henegar will tackle other classic American plays.

SIDE O' GRITS: "A Streetcar Named Desire" runs through March 15 at the Henegar Center, 625 E. New Haven Ave., Melbourne. Curtain is 8 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays and 2 p.m. Sundays. Tickets are $22 general, $20 seniors and $10 students (balcony only). Call 723-8698 or visit www.henegar.org.

1. A Street Car Named Desire