KDHX Theatre Review - A Streetcar Named Desire

Stray Dog Theatre
Reviewed by Neville Mur

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It's been almost sixty years since Tennessee William's Pulitzer Prize winning play opened on Broadway, and since that time it's been one of the most performed plays in the American Theatre.

Friday [May 27th, 2005], Stray Dog Theatre gave us their interpretation of this classical theatrical piece. Having seen Stray Dog's production of Proof last November back at the same venue, I was greeted with any entirely different use of the same black box space as this time the play was presented in "theatre in the round" style with the audience surrounding the stage on all four sides.

Stella and Stanley's bedroom was on one side of the playing area and the cot that Blanche slept on, and the kitchen where the poker game takes place is on the other side with a three foot wall separating the two spaces, so that the audience could see the performance from all sides. The porch scenes were played on a bench by an exit door, with a runway that encompassed the parameters of the set for the actors to make their entrances and exits. It was a brilliant use of limited space, but I've come to expect nothing less from Gary F. Bell the Artistic Director of Stray Dog.

The lighting by Rob Ogden, was very effectively used throughout the play to set the pace, mood and ambiance of the Kowalski's French Quarter apartment. The one technical thing that bothered me was there was occasional incidental music playing under the dialogue, that at times was distracting and at such a volume that if the actors were turned away from you, there was a problem hearing some lines. Hopefully this will be rectified by the last two weekends of performance.

Now to the actors themselves, the four main characters of the play, Blanche, Stanley, Stella and Mitch are so important to this piece that the original actors, Jessica Tandy, Marlon Brando, Kim Stanley and Karl Malden, were used in the film version with the exception of Vivian Leigh who had performed in London, taking over the Blanche role from Miss Tandy because she was a bigger box office name.

In this rendering we have Kimberly Sansone, Ryan Holshouser, Michelle Hand and William Alverson playing the four parts. Miss Sansone brings a beautiful lyrical quality to the part of Blanche, Michelle Hand, though small in size, gives a heart wrenching performance as Stella. William Alverson, as the "Momma's boy," Mitch is very believable as this awkward character. Where I had a problem is, Ryan Holshouser, as Stanley Kowalski. Granted this role is forever identified with Marlon Brando, but other actors, Anthony Quinn, and Alec Baldwin have played this role too. The part calls for Stanley to be slovenly, but not a complete Slob. Mr. Holshouser's trousers looked like a rapper, as the waistband was so low, around his hips, you could see his underwear. During the performance, if he grabbed his belt once, he grabbed it 37 times.

It also calls for the character to have "Animal Magnetism." Stanley is supposed to be a virile, sexy predatory man. I felt that this performance was an example of pseudo-masculinity and not very believable. Other than that I thought the show was wonderfully paced, helped by a supportive cast, full of great energy and worth a trip to the Little Theatre at Clayton High School..

A Streetcar Named Desire continues through June 12th with evening performances at 8:00 PM and matinees on Sundays at 2:00 PM. For Reservations phone (314) 531-5923.

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