A Streetcar Named Desire at Almeida Theatre

Southern belle Blanche DuBois (Patsy Ferran) arrives in New Orleans in search of refuge with her sibling. But just what has she run away from? Stumbling into a foreign world, Blanche struggles to compute why her sister Stella (Anjana Vasan) has chosen such a lifestyle, which causes no-nonsense man-of-the-house Stanley (Paul Mescal) to take an instant disliking to the uninvited guest. As Stella makes excuses and justifications for Blanche’s behaviour (her husband died of suicide), Stanley seeks to expose her for who she really is. Tennessee Williams’s familiar themes of mental fragility and fantasy versus reality dominate, with domestic violence, social class and gender also examined in this claustrophobic tragedy. 

The Almeida enjoyed a celebrated revival with Williams’s lesser-known Summer and Smoke in 2018. Directed by Rebecca Frecknall, it confirmed Ferran as one of the most exciting young talents on the stage, and also starred Vasan. Fitting, then, that the trio joins forces once again, with Ferran’s involvement very last-minute following Lydia Wilson injuring herself. Tackling the most famous of Williams’s works brings with it certain audience expectations: how can such an oft-performed text be refreshed for a new audience while retaining loyalty to it and its writer? 

While the Young Vic memorably saw Gillian Anderson and Vanessa Kirby play out the drama on a rotating set, here we find a bare stage with the audience seated around it. Suggestive of a boxing ring and with no scenery, it is down to the actors and various props to tell the story, with Frecknall adopting a stripped-back approach. 

Actor/drummer Tom Penn jolts us with drum bursts from Angus MacRae’s score, and at times Madeleine Girling allows rain to fall on her set. It could connote cleansing for Blanche, who frequently takes baths as a means of escaping from the world; it could also foreshadow the start of an unavoidable storm. Used sparingly, it is most effective during the devastating yet inevitable climax, as Blanche finally succumbs and makes her physical and figurative departure. 

We see Vasan seamlessly shift from sensitive to stubborn sister. Humouring Blanche’s ramblings, Stella serves to emphasise her sibling’s detachment from the truth, while at the same time seeming in denial of her own toxic relationship. It’s a multifaceted portrayal. Mescal’s Stanley is a far cry from his sensitive turn in the BBCs Normal People. Utilising his physicality, the actor is animalistic from the off; pacing around the protagonist as he taunts her, we never quite know when one of his violent or verbal outbursts might occur. Ferran plays effortlessly off the two and captures all the complexities of the central character. Excavating the comedy that comes from Blanche, while also conveying the immense fragility, denial and desperation, her portrayal makes for an engrossing, if sometimes uneasy watch. It’s a masterful performance, made even more impressive by the fact that Ferran was so late to the process.  

Williams’s lyrical writing, complex characters and urgent themes ensure audiences will always flock to see this play. When executed so effectively by actors and creatives of this calibre, however, it’s guaranteed to become the hottest ticket in town. An invigorating interpretation. 

Jonathan Marshall
Photos: Marc Brenner

A Streetcar Named Desire is at Almeida Theatre from 17^th December until 4^th February 2023. For further information or to book visit the theatre’s website here.