Seeing this screening on a warm summer’s evening (well, warm for England) went rather well with seeing a Tennessee Williams play. If you’ve ever seen one before, the characters aren’t exactly dressed in thermals and fleeces, drinking tea and hot chocolate to try to keep warm. National Theatre Live cinema screenings have much appeal – the prices are considerably less than they would be to see shows of a similar calibre at the theatre, and you also benefit from cinema seating.
As far as this particular show goes, the view is arguably even better than it would be from the front row of the stalls. An in-the-round production, the stage is on two levels, even if very little ultimately happens ‘upstairs’, and the camera work is, save for the very occasional slip up (which, to be fair to NT Live, has been kept in, unedited, presumably to preserve a sort of theatrical experience. It was, after all, filmed ‘live’, and there is no director yelling ‘Cut!’ with the same scene shot as many times as is necessary until it is perfected. Here, the show really must go on.
The story is of its time and in a different country (late-1940s America). Even so, it is quite a sobering thought, on seeing Blanche (Gillian Anderson) being visited by a doctor and a nurse, that provision for mental ill health was in some ways better a couple of generations ago compared to how things are today. We do not, of course, commit people to the asylum in the same way as they did then, and even here, the doctor (Nicholas Gecks) insists the straitjacket should only be used if absolutely necessary.
It’s easy to see why this play has become something of an enduring classic – it’s quite relatable, and perhaps always will be, with people like Blanche indulging in escapism to try to escape from the harsh realities of life. Granted, hers is an extreme example, and some of what goes on seems to be at least partly for dramatic effect. But there’s something in this storyline about naively putting one’s trust in other people almost blindly (“I have always depended on the kindness of strangers”) that provides food for thought: it’s all very well going the other way and trusting nobody, but in the end, don’t we all only live once?
I’m not sure about the use of loud and jarring music in between scenes, which for me served to dispel the tension and remind me that I was watching a show, which isn’t necessarily what you want when you’re watching something you’re genuinely interested in. Still, the cast is first-rate. Ben Stanley’s Stanley is suitably no-nonsense and menacing, a contrast to the delicate and emotional Blanche. Vanessa Kirby’s Stella is caught between her husband and her sister, two very different people. The idea that violence in a relationship could be a contributing factor to that relationship’s success is a complex and intriguing one, and the play offers a convincing answer to the question about why Stella continues to stay in a house where she is at risk of domestic violence. It’s a long evening, but a worthwhile one, for the dramatic tension and engaging performances.
Review by Chris Omaweng
Gillian Anderson (Sex Education), Vanessa Kirby (The Crown), and Ben Foster (Lone Survivor) lead the cast in Tennessee Williams’ timeless masterpiece, returning to cinemas.
As Blanche’s fragile world crumbles, she turns to her sister Stella for solace – but her downward spiral brings her face to face with the brutal, unforgiving Stanley Kowalski.
From visionary director Benedict Andrews, this acclaimed production was filmed live during a sold-out run at the Young Vic Theatre in 2014.
CAST (in alphabetical order)
Blanche DuBois – Gillian Anderson
Eunice Hubbel – Clare Burt
Mexican Woman – Lachele Carl
Steve – Branwell Donaghey
Young Collector – Otto Farrant
Stanley Kowalski – Ben Foster
Doctor – Nicholas Gecks
Pablo – Troy Glasgow
Nurse – Stephanie Jacob
Harold Mitchell (Mitch) – Corey Johnson
Stella Kowalski – Vanessa Kirby
Woman – Clare Prempeh
CREATIVES
Written by Tennessee Williams
Direction – Benedict Andrews
Design – Magda Willi
Costumes – Victoria Behr
Light – John Clark
Sound – Paul Arditti
Music – Alex Baranowski
UK Casting – Maggie Lunn CDG, Camilla Evans CDG
US Casting – Jim Carnahan CSA
Voice – Richard Ryder
Fight – Bret Yount
Dialect – Rick Lipton
Jerwood Assistant Director – Natasha Nixon
A STREETCAR NAMED DESIRE
National Theatre Live
In selected cinemas from 5 June 2025
