CLASS AND POWER
Vortex Theatre stages ‘A Streetcar Named Desire’
The decay of the antebellum South meets psychological ruin when Blanche DuBois moves in with the Kowalskis.
The Vortex Theatre will stage Tennessee Williams’ Pulitzer Prizewinning tragedy “A Streetcar Named Desire” beginning next weekend. The play runs through April 15. “For me, it sort of sits at the cross hairs of the 20th century,” director Paul Ford said. “It’s lyrical versus guttural; he has this lyrical voice he gives to Blanche versus his guttural language of Stanley. It’s all at the center of some understanding of who we are as Americans.”
The play opens with the arrival of Blanche in the New Orleans home of her sister, Stella, and Stella’s husband, Stanley. Blanche is in her 30s; she’s lost the family home in Mississippi and has nowhere else to go.
The friction between Blanche and her brother-in-law flares almost immediately. Blanche despairs over the shabby apartment and refers to Stanley as “common.” He resents what he considers her superior attitude.
The 1947 Broadway production starred Jessica Tandy and Marlon Brando, who was almost an unknown at the time. The 1951 movie adaptation paired Brando with Vivien Leigh, winning four Academy Awards. It’s often regarded as one of the finest plays of the 20th century.
“The most challenging thing is to sort of put aside this legacy,” Ford said. “I do come in with presumptions about the play. For me, the journey into the play has reversed all my presumptions.”
The play explores class and societal differences, as well as the relationships between men and women.
“Ultimately, (Blanche’s) rape by Stanley has nothing to do with sex but everything to do with power,” Ford said.
Stella refuses to believe her sister and recapitulates into a maledominated world.
“I’m intrigued by that as we look at the role and subjugation of women,” Ford added.
The play stars Chad Brummett (“Hamlet,” “Macbeth,” “Richard III”) as Stanley and Bridget Kelly (“Mrs. Warren’s Profession,” “Sex with Strangers, “The Graduate”) as Blanche. Amy Bourque (“Spitfire Grill”) plays Stella.
Ford is a former University of New Mexico acting professor. He has previously directed “Twelfth Night,” “Blythe Spirit,” “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” and many others. In January, he played Andre in “The Father.”