Arguably one of the most iconic of the Tennessee Williams canon of plays is
A Streetcar Named Desire,
a play rich with character, emotion, and some of the most recycled
quotes in literature. One of the greatest challenges theater makers have
these days is doing something fresh and new with the piece (ie the
recent
Streetcar wreck on Broadway). The folks at Less Than Rent decided to tackle the mammoth play in adaptation style in
Desire! [A Varsouviana], written in tag team form by Rachel Buethe, Patrick Fleury, and James Presson.
This
play takes a clever approach by allowing us to see the formation of a
play through the eyes of a playwright. The playwright’s name in
Desire!
is Tom. Anyone who does their theater homework knows that Tom is the
given name of Tennessee Williams. So we’re watching Mr. Williams create
A Streetcar Named Desire.
The only problem is this playwright is able to see way into the future
because the characters he projects via for us via fever dream are stuck
in a modern day party scene in Yankee country. As the play progresses,
Desire!
becomes a dramaturgical nightmare. Gone are the Southern influences and
accents that make Williams’ original characters so recognizable and
necessary to the New Orleans set source material. Gone are many of the
plot points that make Stella and Mitch important characters, forcing
them to only appear when it suits fit for the main characters.
Desire! is really two plays mashed into one; an abridged cut-and-paste
Streetcar
and an insight to the struggles of Williams’ life. While the two don’t
mesh well together, individually, they both are clever and interesting.
 |
| photo courtesy of Hunter Canning |
To begin, the updated party version of
Streetcar
has some sharp choices that make some of the characters fresh. Rachel
Buethe as Blanche, clad in colorful wigs and outrageous dresses, brings a
to-the-point approach to the otherwise fragile belle. Perhaps it’s the
fascinating deadpan delivery and wardrobe, but it’s easy to predict
Blanche’s nuthouse destination. Buethe’s Blanche is able to go toe to
toe with Patrick Fleury’s authentic Stanley, something not always
present in other versions. Fleury exudes familiarity to his new age
Stanley. Both Buethe and Fleury had the bulk the stage time and wasted
none of it. One of the defining moments was the climatic showdown
between Blanche and Stanley. Director Jenna Grossano brilliantly adds a
fresh take on the altercation with the aid of Megan Land’s strobe
lights. Buethe and Fleury were able to recite the classic lines their
characters own from the source material and do them justice. Fleury’s
belted “Stellaaaa” had heart and soul inside of it. Grossano and
choreographer Jennifer Delac’s dance club transitions helped set the
mood of the environment they wanted to evoke. There were some lost souls
in this world though. Nicole Ventura’s Stella was strong and Cory
Asinofsky’s Mitch was likeable despite their abridged appearances.
Bianca Crudo’s bizarrely crude and yelly take on Eunice did little to
make her character have the importance it does in William’s original
script. The evening had an innovative idea by allowing the party world
to have their own personal DJ, Dan Geggatt. It was a cool touch within
that world, but perhaps due to space restrictions, he also seemed
present in Tom’s world. Ducking behind the DJ table during those scenes
may have been helpful as to not pull focus, especially during some of
the richly emotional scenes.
As far as the second play that makes up
Desire!
James Presson’s take on Tom, or Tennessee Williams, was emo-maniacal as
he floated in and out of the two worlds. Again, Grossano was able to
show her expertise in staging placing Presson into the play world and
allowing us insight on the creation of the play. We saw Williams through
the words his characters were saying. Discovery to say the least. The
only odd decision was casting a woman to play the role of Allen, Tom’s
lover. By losing the man and man relationship on stage spoiled a key
aspect of Williams’ life. Sure, we can pretend and use our imagination,
but the bold decision was not supported textually.
Desire!
was a very ambitious undertaking by a quickly rising theater company.
What the piece lacks in Southern flair,
it makes up for in innovation and courage.
