By Kimberly Harper, WPRO Arts and Entertainment Contributor
The Sandra Feinstein Gamm theater made a strong opening to its 31st season with Tennessee Williams’ “A Streetcar Named Desire,” directed by Tony Estrella. It’s a compelling interpretation of one of the best plays of the 20th century and does not disappoint from lights up to bows.
Blanche Dubois comes to New Orleans hoping to find a fresh start after she has left her high school teaching position before the end of the school year. The family money, and the family back home, are long gone when she comes in search of her sister Stella, finding not a gentlewoman but instead a woman living in genteel poverty with her husband Stanley Kowalski. Stanley is everything Blanche never wanted for her sister – loud, crude, “common,” with a fiery, unpredictable temper. Stanley, not nearly as dumb as Blanche would like to believe, sees through her fragile woman facade and begins digging through Blanche’s past while Stella desperately tries to hold the family together and manage her pregnancy.
Williams’ play is wordy and drawn out, but in Estrella’s hands the poetry of the work shows through the dense prose. The characters are thoroughly human. Anthony Goes as Stanley does not try to make his character overly likable or portray him as misunderstood. He is abusive, he is angry, and he has no problem lashing out violently at women who do not act the way he wants, but Goes manages to avoid presenting Stanley as a one-dimensional monster.
Blanche – played by Marianna Bassham – may seem fragile at first blush but her temper is just as explosive as Stanley’s. It makes each character an incredible force for the other to rage against. Blanche, while not physically abusive, is anxious, acerbic at times and prone to yelling. From her first moments on stage we learn how vitally important projecting a good image is to Blanche- despite the fact that her actions are often in direct contradiction to her statements. As more and more of her history is revealed, Bassham still allows us to be sympathetic to Blanche’s instability. The last moments of the show will have you holding your breath as she still attempts to be perceived as a classy woman of society, even as the last bits of her sanity circle the drain. It is painful and amazing to watch.
Karen Carpenter is great as Stella, by far the stronger sister. She can take life’s knocks and keep going, standing strong where her sister crumbles time and time again. Stella must treat both her husband and sister with kid gloves, as she clearly fears upsetting both, though for different reasons. Her desire to protect them both from each other is well communicated and natural. Steve Kidd plays Mitch, one of Stanley’s poker buddies who tries to court Blanche despite her obvious eccentricities. He gives a solid performance in this supporting role, as does Wendy Overly as the outspoken upstairs neighbor.
The show is musically driven and visually appealing, with David T. Howard’s muted color palette nicely complementing Jessica Hill’s set, which manages to convey the Kowalskis’ tight living quarters without making the state seem claustrophobic. The lighting, designed by Matthew Terry is perfect, striking the correct mood to intensify each scene. For all the ugliness in some of the lines, it’s a beautiful show to see.
Gamm’s upcoming year is a nice mix of newer plays and classics, and if they are all as well presented as this, it will be a season no one should miss. At the very least, do not miss this show – it is Rhode Island theater at its finest.
“A Streetcar Named Desire” runs through Oct. 18 at The Gamm Theatre, 172 Exchange St., Pawtucket. Tickets range from $41 for $49 and may be obtained by calling (401) 723-4266, or visiting gammtheatre.org.
