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Beverley Brommert
With good reason, A STREETCAR NEED DESIRE is considered an outstanding expression of Tennessee Williams' genius. Thematically complex, witty, brutal and compassionate, this insightful work probes dark recesses of the human psyche, while generating the dramatic tension essential to theatre of note.
Both a period piece and a timeless classic, it invites reflection on universal issues (among them self-delusion in the service of survival; guilt; and redemption), all grounded within an identifiable context.
That context is the French Quarter of New Orleans in the late 1940s, a place conducive to the frenzied quest for escapism after the enforced austerity of protracted war. Here, artificial paradise is sought in alcohol, pin alley bowling, poker and sex.
Shabby, cramped, and uninviting, it boasts alluring names like that of the tram's destination (Desire), or the Kowalski's street (Elysian Fields) and their telephone indicative (Magnolia). All gravid with irony.
Into this world of raw passions and dingy poverty comes the fragile, determinedly genteel Blanche DuBois, a faded and impecunious Southern belle who now has to rub shoulders with her once-despised sister and the latter's coarse, abrasive husband Stanley Kowalski. Only the most naïve optimist would imagine this is likely to end well, and a growing sense of foreboding is a key factor in holding the audience's attention for two hours.
It is a bold step on the part of LAMTA to choose such a demanding play for young thespians-in-training to tackle, but under the astute direction of Christopher Weare, and ignited by the inclusion in the cast of an acclaimed actress like Emily Child, they offer astonishingly mature and authoritative portrayals.
Child, as Blanche, is understandably the focal point of attention - and she deserves every minute of it as she glides from one facet of her persona's complicated character to another. From demurely seductive to primly decorous, by turns plaintive and judgemental, she remains convincing throughout the slippery descent into dementia as her precarious hold on reality is progressively loosened.
As her leading man, final-year student Dylan Janse Van Rensburg provides a praiseworthy foil for her impeccable performance, testifying to the calibre of his training at LAMTA. His grasp of the disconcerting contradictions in Kowalski's nature, (brashness alternating with insecurity, occasional bouts of tenderness in his generally violent domestic life) is remarkable in so young an actor.
Sarah Wolhuter (Stella) is a sound choice for a role that makes substantial demands even on an experienced performer. Less glamorous than Blanche, she could easily come across as insipid and ordinary, but Wolhuter brings her to life with spirit, injecting an earthiness into the character which contrasts pleasingly with the brittle artificiality of her elder sibling.
As Blanche's youthful suitor Mitch, Jayden Dickson (also in his final year at LAMTA), brings all the boyish diffidence requisite for plausibility in this unlikely courtship.
Weare's habitual skill in regulating the pace of a drama is again apparent in this production: he has struck the ideal balance between speed and deliberation. Too much of the former, and the rich layers of content become indistinct; excess of the latter, and the play becomes tedious.
That slow drawl of America's deep South is a perennial problem for any director, and since he has opted for verisimilitude, Weare has had to instill this distinctive speech into the entire cast. After a while, their collective diction settles at an acceptable level, but initially the audience has to make some effort to follow the dialogue.
Punctuating the drama with vocal rendition of such favourites as St Louis Blues and Give Me a Kiss to Build a Dream On serves to underscore the period portrayed, and the performers are to be commended for their polish and proficiency.
No review of this production would be complete without mention of the ambience-enhancing set. Its imaginative textures, together with beautifully wrought, Dior-inspired costumes and ingenious lighting, draw the audience effortlessly into the exotic world evoked in A STREETCAR NAMED DESIRE. Niall Griffin has done it again.
Small wonder that opening night brought a full house to its feet amid thunderous applause...Well done to LAMTA and all who participated in this theatrical triumph.
The production runs at Theatre On The Bay for a very short season, until 24 August 2025.. Tickets can be booked online through Webtickets.
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