Plays & Drama Codexery

A Streetcar Named Desire

A play about loss, desire, and family conflict in New Orleans.

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A Streetcar Named Desire is a play by Tennessee Williams that dramatizes the experiences of Blanche DuBois, a former Southern belle who moves into a shabby French Quarter apartment rented by her sister and brother-in-law.[1] It won the Pulitzer Prize for Drama in 1948 and a Tony Award for Best Actress for Jessica Tandy.[2] The first Broadway staging of the play began on December 3, 1947, at the Ethel Barrymore Theatre and its run lasted for 855 performances.[2]

Key facts and history

The original Broadway production was produced by Irene Mayer Selznick and directed by Elia Kazan.[3] Williams believed casting Brando would evolve Kowalski from a vicious older man to someone whose unintentional cruelty stems from youthful ignorance.[4] The first Broadway revival was in 1973 at the Vivian Beaumont Theater, starring Rosemary Harris as Blanche.[5] Kim Hunter performed the part of Stella and Karl Malden performed the part of Mitch in the initial cast on opening night.[6]

Brooks Atkinson, writing for The New York Times, called Tandy's acting "almost incredibly true".[4] Laurence Olivier directed the London production, which began at the Aldwych Theatre on October 12, 1949, and featured Vivien Leigh as Blanche.[7]

What the cited sources add

The Sydney Theatre Company production premiered on September 5, 2009, directed by Liv Ullmann and starring Cate Blanchett as Blanche.[8] The 2016 Royal Exchange production in Manchester starred Maxine Peake as Blanche and opened on September 8.[9][10] The 2018 Tennessee Williams Festival St. Louis production cast Sophia Brown as Blanche with actors close to Williams' original age intentions.[11] The 2022 Almeida Theatre revival starred Patsy Ferran as Blanche and Paul Mescal as Stanley, winning three Laurence Olivier Awards.[12]

The Roundabout Theater Company produced the 2005 Broadway revival, which featured Natasha Richardson as Blanche.[13]

References

  1. Wikipedia, "A Streetcar Named Desire" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "A Streetcar Named Desire", Internet Broadway Database (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  2. Production notes. December 3, 1947—December 17, 1949 IBDb.com. facts only, no text reused. ibdb.com
  3. Wikipedia, "A Streetcar Named Desire" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Production notes. December 3, 1947—December 17, 1949 IBDb.com; Production notes. December 3, 1947—December 17, 1949 IBDb.com (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
  4. Wikipedia, "A Streetcar Named Desire" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: December 3, This Day In History Calendar (2008), Sourcebooks, Inc.; "Original Review of 'A Streetcar Named Desire'", archive.nytimes.com (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  5. Wikipedia, "A Streetcar Named Desire" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Barnes, "A Rare 'Streetcar'; Fresh Approach Taken at Vivian Beaumont", The New York Times, April 27, 1973 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  6. Wikipedia, "A Streetcar Named Desire" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Production notes. December 3, 1947—December 17, 1949 IBDb.com (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
  7. Wikipedia, "A Streetcar Named Desire" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "Production of A Streetcar Named Desire – Theatricalia", theatricalia.com (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  8. Wikipedia, "A Streetcar Named Desire" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "A Streetcar Named Desire", SydneyTheatre.com.au (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
  9. Wikipedia, "A Streetcar Named Desire" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "Maxine Peake stalks to the heart of Blanche DuBois", The Guardian, September 18, 2016 (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
  10. "Maxine Peake stalks to the heart of Blanche DuBois", The Guardian, September 18, 2016. facts only, no text reused. theguardian.com
  11. Wikipedia, "A Streetcar Named Desire" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Fenske, "A Streetcar Named Desire Triumphs at the Tennessee Williams Festival", Riverfront Times, 11 May 2018; Newmark, "'A Streetcar Named Desire' sizzles in its own poetry", St. Louis Post-Dispatch, 11 May 2018 (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
  12. Wikipedia, "A Streetcar Named Desire" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Wiegand, "A Streetcar Named Desire with Paul Mescal transfers to West End", The Guardian, 25 January 2023; Wood, "A Streetcar Named Desire with Patsy Ferran, Paul Mescal and Anjana Vasan sells out in two hours and breaks records", WhatsOnStage, 1 February 2023; Wood, "Olivier Awards 2023 nominations announced – see the full list", WhatsOnStage.com, 28 February 2023; Gumuchian, "Paul Mescal, Jodie Comer win prizes at London theatre's Olivier awards", Reuters, 2 April 2023 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  13. Wikipedia, "A Streetcar Named Desire" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Production notes. April 26–July 3, 2005. IBDb.com (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org

Each numbered sentence above was checked against the source it cites before publication. Sentences citing Wikipedia adapt text from the English Wikipedia article A Streetcar Named Desire (contributors), used under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is available under the same licence. Other sources were used for facts only; no text or images are copied from them.

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Sources

Compiled from Wikipedia and the sources listed below. Text from Wikipedia is available under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is adapted from it.

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