I read Streetcar in high school, and there are a lot of tangential references to it in Almodovar’s Todo sobre mi madre, one of my favorite Almodovar films, which incorporates Streetcar as a narrative thread. Then there is, of course, the film: Marlon Brando and Vivien Leigh at their best, with an excellent supporting crew like Karl Malden.
When you walk around New Orleans, there are many Tennessee Williams references: he drank a coffee here, he smoked a cigarette here, he tied his shoelaces here, you get the idea. So, I remember being fascinated by this author, having such a presence in New Orleans when I travelled there for work years ago. That presence worked both ways, as you could argue that New Orleans is another main character in the play.
But I had never seen it until last week when I saw a billboard at the Teatro Español, no less. I got tickets for Celia and me —admittedly, I got them late, so they were not the best…
It was fantastic! Nathalie Poza as Blanche drives the play with all the subtleties of her character. Pablo Derqui is not Marlon Brando, but he puts up a solid effort. The set, the direction, the sound, it all works out perfectly. The stage manager even has rain, “real” rain, which, while impressive, ends up being a bit of unnecessary gimmick. And, with this being the Teatro Español, the world’s oldest (mostly) continuously running theatre (since 1583), there is an added aura, added magic.
So if you are in Madrid before July 27, see A Streetcar Named Desire. You are welcome.
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