• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 

A Streetcar Named Desire

Review

Had this just been about a clash of cultures in the Deep South, HumDrum AmDram’s production would be a triumph.

But Tennessee Williams’s play is also about sexual tension and animal force – and there HumDrum fall short.

Sheila Elsdon is never less than watchable as Blanche Dubois, the fading southern belle who says she doesn’t want realism but magic conveying the neurosis , flirtatiousness and fragility with skill.

But the deviousness appears as little more than michief-making. It should be devastating, because ultimately it is what leads Blanche’s rough working man of a brother-in-law to brutalise her.

Joe Cody catches his coldness and disdain well but needs more of a sense of danger, a brooding presence erupting into violence. He should also look to the floor less and use his eyes more expressively.

Two main supporting roles are beautifully played, by Claire Chilton as Blanche’s passive sister and by Mark Thompson as the gentle man who could be Blanche’s salvation.

Director Chris Wood adds many neat touches, including well-chosen blues songs, but a little more light, shade and variety of pace are needed.

Mike Allen – Portsmouth News – Tuesday 26 September 2000