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LIFE & LEISURE

THEATER REVIEW: 'Streetcar' a desirable production

By ELLEN BRAMS The Patriot Ledger

More than half a century since Tennessee Williams penned "A Streetcar Named Desire." In the French Quarter of New Orleans in the 1940s, living was spartan and frustration, desperation and rage could run high.

Bill Stambaugh and Margaret Kelly star as Stanley and Stella Kowalski in the Company Theater's production of "A Streetcar Named Desire." (Amelia Kunhardt/The Patriot Ledger)

Williams' works are not often done by community theaters, because many companies are hard-pressed to cast convincingly characters such as the hard-drinking, wife-dominating Stanley Kowalski; his wife, Stella, a sad pragmatist who gave up life on her childhood plantation to settle for good sex and bad treatment; and her sister, Blanche, whose tenuous grasp on sanity is shattered when she collides with the too-real Stanley.

The adventuresome, semi-professional Company Theater flourishes in Norwell because it can assemble the theatrical resources to put on a strong, convincing, well-acted production of a challenging play such as "Streetcar."

The show, which opened last weekend, takes place in a terrific, seedy and sensual bi-level set designed by Zoe Bradford, which gives the audience a large window on the cramped lives in the Kowalskis' apartment.

Bill Stambaugh gives a powerful, electric performance as Stanley, the desirable bad boy whom Stella adores, forgives and fears simultaneously. Stambaugh's delivery is sometimes tinctured with guile, often with venom, and once with immense desperation (when he acknowledges that the Stella he bullies is really his only strength). Stambaugh's emotional strength is augmented by credible physical violence, giving his characterization the tension of a coiled spring.

Margaret Kelly as Stella is at once painfully pragmatic about her circumstance and an incurable romantic about Stanley, her man at all costs. Kelly not only connects convincingly with Stambaugh's Stanley - conveying lust, fear and frustration - but also with Liz Robbins as her emotionally fragile, boozy sister, Blanche, who lives in an imaginary state of youth, beauty and gentility that's long gone.

Blanche DuBois (who depends "on the kindness of strangers") is a difficult, complex character for an actress. Taking on airs which she can't substantiate with her current poverty, addiction and emotional frailty, Blanche must seem feminine and above reproach or suspicion in order to be gradually unmasked both to the audience and the other characters. Robbins had some difficulty at first finding a dependable Southern accent, but her multifaceted performance was touching, beguiling and quite real. Robbins' Blanche is a flighty, fearful, lonely woman who resorts to less than rewarding intimacies to get by and who ultimately unravels like the bright paper lantern she uses to cover the glaring light bulb in the Kowalskis' apartment to create a romantic illusion.

There are several noteworthy supporting performances in this production, which was crisply directed by Stephen Levine. Cindy McManus is memorable as the Kowalski's upstairs neighbor and friend, Eunice. Whether deliciously harsh, folksy or simply telling it like it is, McManus is righteously real and really enjoyable. Al Johnson as Eunice's hubby, Steve, is perfect as a clueless working stiff who only desires his creature comforts. He's a lowbrow Everyman the audience can chuckle over.

Richard Carey does a sympathetic job as Harold, Stanley's Marine Corps buddy, co-worker and pal. He's a strait-laced, socially inexperienced good guy who becomes, heartbreakingly, Blanche's short-term beau.

Company Theater's strong cast and solid creative and technical staff have combined to bring this classic American drama to vivid life. It's a theatrical and emotional experience you shouldn't miss.

Copyright 2001 The Patriot Ledger