Tag: Tennessee Williams

Tragic Tennessee Williams well told Streetcar

 

(Photo by Liz Lauren)

Highly recommended

Having seen Tennessee Williams “A Streetcar Named Desire” numerous times before, the wonder was how the Paramount Theatre’s “Bold Series” production could be interpreted any differently.

The answer came immediately as Blanche Dubois wandered shakily as she made her way across the small stage of the Copley Theatre, obviously having had one too many shots of the hard stuff.

In the Copley, an intimate secondary venue across the road from its parent Paramount building, the lighting design of Cat Wilson and the scenic design of Angela Weber Miller cast just the right mood for Williams’ hot and sweaty New Orleans. But the show is not really hot or sweaty. It is about a character shaped by a Southern culture. 

We might guess that when we see the almost, but not quite well-put-together Blanche as dressed by costumer designer Mara Blumenfeld, that this seemingly refined person would be the story’s tragic character.

As the long, nearly three-hour show, uncovers Blanche’s history, it no longer matters that the show is set in steamy New Orleans even though its title picks up on a real streetcar in the French Quarter that is named “Desire.”

Unlike many other productions, this interpretation is not particularly dripping with atmosphere. It is merely telling a story. And it is tells it well.

Perfectly portrayed by Amanda Drinkall, Blanche is another of Williams’ way to portray a dissolute South trying to hold on to its plantation culture.

Co-directed by Jim Corti and Elizabeth Swanson, the acting is superb. Along with Drinkall, kudos also go to Alina Taber who is believable as Blanche’s sister Stella, and to Stella’s husband, Stanley (well played by Casey Hoekstra).

Even if you have seen “Streetcar” before, see it again as a Paramount production.

Details: “A Streetcar Names Desire” is at the Copley Theatre, 8 East Galena Blvd., Aurora, IL through April 21, 2024. For tickets and more information call (630) 896-6666 or visit  Paramount Aurora.

Jodie Jacobs

For more shows visit Theatre in Chicago

‘Suddenly Last Summer’ is crazy good

(L to R) Wardell Julius Clark, Ayanna Bria Bakari, Grayson Heyl, Ann James and Andrew Rathgeber in Raven Theatre's Suddenly Last Summer. (Michael Brosilow photo)
(L to R) Wardell Julius Clark, Ayanna Bria Bakari, Grayson Heyl, Ann James and Andrew Rathgeber in Raven Theatre’s Suddenly Last Summer. (Michael Brosilow photo)

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

Catherine Holly (Grayson Heyl) is declared insane for recounting details related to the horrific death of her cousin Sebastian Venable while the two vacationed in a Latin-American beach resort.

It all happened, “Suddenly Last Summer” and no one, especially her aunt, Mrs. Violet Venable (Mary K. Nigohosian), Sebastian’s mother, wants to believe it.

The aging socialite, Mrs. Venable, invites Dr. Cukrowicz a/k/a Dr. Sugar (Wardell Julius Clark) to interview the suspected mad woman to assess whether or not she is a candidate for a lobotomy. The operation would erase the abhorrent memory and preserve the reputation of the beloved Sebastian.

Though the action takes place in a misty New Orleans garden, this is essentially a drawing room drama that plays out much like a whodunit with Dr. Sugar slowly extracting the details that reveal the shocking truth.

Skillfully written by Tennessee Williams and directed by Jason Gerace, the 90 minute production moves along swiftly in the capable hands of this Raven Theatre ensemble.

The play employs themes of mental illness and includes the prototypical characters of the delusional matriarch and the sensitive, often confused ingénue familiar to such other Williams works as “Streetcar Named Desire” and “The Glass Menagerie.”

This is simply a good solid play well performed.

Full of Southern charm, I suggest you invite a friend to go with you, then afterwards head over to Big Jones in Andersonville, Jimmy’s Pizza Café (at Lincoln & Foster), or Luella’s Southern Kitchen in Lincoln Square for fresh beignets and coffee to complete the New Orleans experience.

DETAILS: “Suddenly Last Summer” is at the Raven Theatre, 6157 N. Clark St. (at Granville), Chicago, through June 17, 2018.  For tickets and more information call (773) 338-2177 or visit Raven Theatre.

Reno Lovison  (RenoWeb.net) and About Guest Reviewers

 

For more shows visit Theatre in Chicago