Streetcar Named Desire, a highly creditable production of a difficult drama.
A Streetcar Named Desiare by Tennessee Williams. Ottawa Little Theatre. Directed by Sarah Hearn
A Streetcar Named Desire, generally regarded as one of the major plays of the 20th century, is also one of the most disturbing. Playwright Tennessee Williams’ portrait of aging southern belle Blanche Dubois, surrounded by self-delusion and fantasy as she crumbles into mental collapse was the primary focus of the drama when it premiered in 1947.
When Marlon Brando recreated his stage performance in the 1951 movie version as her brother-in-law Stanley Kowalski, the balance of the drama seemed to shift to make Streetcar his story, highlighting the explosive relationship with his wife, Stella — Blanche’s younger sister — and the constant tension with Blanche. …