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Albuquerque Little Theatre stages American classic 'A Streetcar Named Desire'
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“A Streetcar Named Desire” dives into the world of Blanche DuBois, a woman who uproots from her life in Mississippi to live with her sister and brother-in-law in New Orleans.
Written by Tennessee Williams and first performed in 1947, before coming to the big screen in 1951, the play explores the force of human desire and each character is a representation of what happens when they decide to embrace or deny the feeling of want.
“It’s such a beautiful, compelling and disturbing story,” said Theresa Carson, director of the play at Albuquerque Little Theatre. “It’s a story about human nature and family, and I think it just has so many themes that people can relate to today.”
After losing her family’s plantation home and her entire lifestyle, DuBois leaves for New Orleans to stay with her sister. Destitute and frustrated after a series of unfortunate events, DuBois searches for a way out of the troubles, someone who will sweep her off her feet and back to the life she once had.
“This is a story about people who are fiercely protecting their armor of illusion of how they want the world to be, so that they can survive in a world that is not what they want or need,” Carson said. “This enables them to survive in a very menacing, lonely world.”
Madison Dodd, who portrays DuBois in the play, said the character is complicated and full of depth, and she was able to blend her life in with parts of DuBois to truly flesh out the character.
“I have the gift of getting to speak poetry,” Dodd added. “There’s lots of levels to her ... but she has a great depth and beauty, and she does truly try to do the right and kind thing in her twisted mind.”
DuBois finds herself in a town unlike her home in Mississippi and she struggles to adapt after so many changes in her life. DuBois, between trying to adjust to her new life and trying to find love and light in the dark, also struggles when she realizes her sister Stella is not as happy as she would lead people to believe.
While directing the play, Carson said she focused on keeping ideas from the original play while blending in modern themes in the hopes of having audience members embrace the idea of desire and passion within their own lives.
“The world is changing, and it’s changing swiftly,” Carson said. “DuBois is having trouble adapting and connecting, and I think that is very relevant today.”
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“A Streetcar Named Desire” will be at Albuquerque Little Theatre from Friday, March 7, through March 23.
“I hope the audience walks away with a new understanding or new perspective of the story, or that it makes them think about something in a new way,” Carson said. “This play looks deeply into the complexity of human beings and the length that we go to survive and to find love and security.”
