I was among the lucky few who was able to get a ticket to "A Streetcar Named Desire" at The Kennedy Center long before it was completely SOLD OUT. I went up last weekend to stay with a close friend of mine and we treated ourselves to a matinee performance. She wanted to see some theater and I, of course, was also up for it! :)
This production was awesome! Tennessee Williams is by far a very talented playwright and visionary. Given his history, I was neither shocked nor surprised by the themes presented in this play. He had a rough life.
And since Mr. Williams is such a popular playwright, I am sure that many of us have soon one or two of Mr. Williams' plays before. So...it is then fair to assume that a person will only see a play a second time if this particular production has a "wow" factor. To be honest, I have already seen "Streetcar," but now I can also say I saw Cate Blanchett play Blanche.
For this production, Ms. Blanchett is the "wow" factor. And she certainly delivered. All the way up in the balcony, I felt captivated by her performance. She truly highlighted the vulnerability of Blanche's character. She pretty much stole the show. This worked out fine given that Blanche is a very "steal-the-show" type of character. Cate knows how to play high class and her sweet Mississippi charm for Blanche was just right. Everyone knows the classic line, "I have always depended on the kindness of strangers." I was very impressed...but more rather, not surprised by Cate's magnitude. She deserves all the praise she has been getting for this role. It's a role of a lifetime.
But to give credit where credit is due - Joel Edgerton, who played Stanley Kowalski, was brilliant. He had the muscular manly presence that Stanley's character requires and yet offered the subtle charm that helps the audience understand why Stella keeps coming back to him. Joel was not afraid to grab hold of Stanley's animalistic tendencies. I also found that this production had a very tasteful way of portraying the scene between Stanley and Blanche in which Stanley takes advantage of her. Joel deserves praise too because we need to feel threaten by Stanley as well as find moments in the play when we like him, even though the former always takes p residence.
The final character of the "Big 3" of this show is Stella Kowalski. Being Blanche's sister, she is almost expected to be the same "high class" Southern Lady that Blanche portrays. Yet, Stella differs in that she is now being affected by the high strong manner of her husband, Stanley. Robin McLeavy was a gentle yet passionate Stella. It was hard having her up with Blanche, given that Cate took Blanche to so many high levels. However, Robin proved she could handle her own onstage. Her chemistry with Joel was the perfect match for these characters. The most important relationship dynamic is between Stella and Blanche. The audience has to see the love between them. Robin was compassionate, patient, understanding and even took hold of playing "the big sister." Stella is happy in her life with Stanley and when Blanche comes, she not only has to redefine her relationship with Stanley, but also with her sister.
I was very pleased with this production and so was my friend. It was a lovely afternoon of theater!
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