Diary

This streetcar with the destination "Desire" in New Orleans really exists. In this play it carries Blanche Dubois into the life of her sister Stella. Stella is married to the rough-footed Stanley Kowalski in a relationship that is mainly based on physical love.
Stanley mercilessly unravels the web of fantasies Blanche is weaving around herself. He finds out Blanche has started drinking after her husband's death, has worked as a prostitute and lost her job as a teacher.
Blanche makes a final attempt to get out of her collapsing world by attracting the attention of Mitch, a friend of Stanley's. But Stanley tells Mitch the truth about Blanche and gives her a ticket for the bus to travel back to her home town.
After a series of crises the play ends with a total collapse of Blanche. She is led off to a mental institution. And the men resume their game of Poker as if nothing ever happened.

Text: Tennessee Williams. Director: Léon van der Sanden. Actors: Marie-Christine de Both, Gitta Fleuren, Hans Trentelman en Hans van Leipsig.

"A streetcar named Desire" is a play that every theatre lover should know. It is a real challenge for actors and directors to put this on stage. It is certainly not a simple play.

I would like to start my report at the end this time: The audience rewarded the performance with a standing ovation. I think the actors from theatre group "Het Vervolg" absolutely deserved this. Such a marvelous play, such a beautiful adaptation, such fabulous acting!

Before the play started there was a preview in the foyer. Timothy de Gilde interviewed Hans Trentelman, who plays Stanley. This play is a real 'theatre classic', but what does that mean exactly? A classic is a play that remains interesting over more than one generation.

Timothy talked a lot about the similarities between Tennessee Williams' live and the play. Just like Blanche Tennessee went to New Orleans hoping to start a new life there. But he was a lot more successful than Blanche. He changed his name, openly admitted he was a homosexual and he became a playwright.

In the original play there are 12 characters, but in this adaptation, the number had been reduced to four. Doesn't that harm the play? No, it certainly didn't! Blanche, Stanley, Stella and Mitch are the key-characters in the play. The rest is really only decoration. The encounter between Blanche and the newspaper boy was staged as one of Blanche's fantasies. Why not? Blanche is living in a fantasy world anyway. This fit in perfectly.

Of course the play had become a little shorter than the original. But that only added to the strength. And to the strain it puts on the players. They are constantly active for two hours without a break. And it is even more difficult if it is such a physical play as this one. We have fights, love-making, rape...
Believe me, that is very hard work for the actors. I was also very impressed by the scêne in which Blanche is standing under the shower completely nude, while doing a complicated monologue. It takes a lot of guts and skill to do something like that. I truly admired this!

---

I don't think any of you will be traveling to Holland or Belgium to see this play, but if you do look at the agenda in the Dutch language version of this entry. There are still 24 opportunities to go and see this!



<< Home