A Streetcar Named Desire - Almeida / Phoenix

Theatrefan77 - although of course you’re giving people here first dibs, recommend you call the box office as the performance is sold out, so a good chance they will be able to sell for you.

Shoreditch Tom - I will look out for the flying chair as I’m in the rear stalls front row…

I enjoyed this a lot.

Patsy Ferran once again excelled. She remembered the lines and she made the moments when she was turning the pages to the right spot look part of her character. Naturalistic as ever and held you attention.

The other stellar performance came from Dwane Walcott. Gave a naturally soft and grounded performance as the mild tempered Mitch. He and Patsy shone when it was just them alone

The others ranged from fine to good, but didn’t meet th level of the two I mentioned. Paul Mescal’s range only went so far playing macho and angry.

Fracknells directing choices had their moments. The cast were in-synch when they were doing actions on and around the stage. The rain doesn’t add much to proceedings and the physical stuff from the young actor felt pointless

3.75 stars

Erm 2 actors who are supposed to be in shows currently?! Nice

Ohhhh… that makes sense then!

Agree on both fronts. My friend, seeing the play for the first time, got the gist of what was going on but the transition into the last scene could have been tighter and clearer and the slow-mo stuff was unecessary.

But better than the the Young Vic set turning at high speed by the end which was disorientating to a fault

I went last night. This production of a classic seems to somewhat mirror the Donmar's current revival in so much as there have been cancellations and a change of leading role, and rather like Watch on the Rhine it appears to be coming together pretty well.

This was about the 10-11th performance though about the third for Patsy/Blanche off-book. With Press Night inevitably delayed, the line between previews and the run seems blurred, though Patsy is starting to properly inhabit the role now, with just very occasional phrasing to iron out.

Talented group. It is coming together, I would imagine rapidly now.

In-the-round works very well for much of the piece but it also presents tricky little problems, the final scene included.

I did wonder if the drummer was either over-amped or John Bonham reincarnate (at times VERY VERY LOUD!).

The production does peak Tennessee Williams justice. Look forward to returning in the last week of the run to see them in full flow.

Currently 3 1/2 bowling balls out of five, with 4 and a bit likely in the new year.

Just a heads up for anyone after a ticket: I’ve just asked to return mine for tomorrow’s matinee. I think it was the only front row centre ticket I could find when I booked it, but the train strikes coupled with the difficulty of trying to get annual leave this time of year means it’s too much hassle to try to get down to London and back.

My views are similar to nottobe 's. I mostly loved this and was excited about Patsy Ferran who didn't disappoint. I only saw the filmed version of the YV production and also the Vivien Leigh film, both of which seemed centred on Blanche as a flawed, self-destructive, over the top character. The Almeida version is more of an ensemble piece focused on all of these people being trapped by social rules and/or financial hardships into lives that are outside their control. 

Ferran is so against type that I didn't have that (annoying to me) sense of a woman who uses beauty and glamour as a way of avoiding taking control of her life. PF is lovely but not in a Vivien Leigh/Gilian Anderson glamorous way, so she was able to create this pitiful woman raised into this stereotype she doesn't fit but can't escape. She seemed a smaller character than I expected, but in a good way, more relatable.

Anjana Vasan was a very good Stella, and there was a really strong sense of sisterly love and shared background with Blanche, which I didn't feel so much with the Young Vic version. I also liked Paul Mescal, who managed to make Stanley sympathetic and repugnant at the same time, and the Stella/Stanley marriage felt very believable. 

I liked the sound design and the drumming mirroring Blanche's mental jumpiness and decline. Not sure about the rain as I couldn't stop comparing it to The Crucible, so couldn't work out what meaning was intended, though it looked good. Costumes good, but I'm not sure why Stella was wearing chunky jumpers in such hot weather. I liked the lack of scenery and the way a character who was being talked about would sometimes walk around the outside of the stage during a scene, so you weren't sure what was overheard. The lack of defined boundaries and privacy heightened the sense of oppression; and the way props were placed on the stage when needed also added to that sense that these people don't have control over their lives. 

It was a riveting 3 hours and would have been 5 stars from me, except the ending lost it a star as I think it was made too ambiguous (see spoiler). It would be good to hear what anyone who didn't already know the play made of this part, and if anything changes later in the run. If I can get a ticket I'd love to see it again.

I enjoyed this very much, especially because I found Ferran a surprisingly brilliant Blanche: there was just the right amount of both stubbornness and fragility in her to make her character both infuriating (in her determination to deny reality) and utterly likeable. She compensates for her lack of classical good looks as Blanche (the angle of the ageing beauty, that someone has mentioned) by heavily amplifying her craving for magic and her desire to find the pure romance she once thought she had and then lost. I found that fully consuming and so utterly heartbreaking. I don't think I entirely see eye to eye with Steve 's view (brilliant, though, as usual) of her being the one truly reasonable character, but I do fully agree with the deliberate cosplay interpretation, and with her being the heart of the production. She chooses to drown in her own desires, to consciously avoid reality, because that is too painful. In an odd way, I found her relatable, even if we truly have nothing in common (except, perhaps, that craving for magic).

cavocado , I quoted you because I especially enjoyed reading your thoughts on the tiny details of the production: I sometimes feel like, post-pandemic, I've almost lost the ability to perceive those kinds of details in the same way as before (which saddens me a little), like nothing has truly gotten to me in a while, which makes talking about theatre a bit scary (like I'm not doing it right any more), and reading your comments made me think about how much I miss that feeling. I also agree with all your insights, especially the lack of boundaries and the absence of control, accentuated by the characters not really leaving the stage and props appearing and disappearing independently of those in focus.

I found Mescal's Stanley a bit obvious, but he was far from bad; he did a good job. Anjana Vasan was a beautifully gentle Stella, torn between the two worlds that collided around her (her sister's and her husband's).

Perhaps the only thing I can hold against Frecknall is that she seems to often resort to the same bag of tricks in her plays (walking around the stage, slow motion scenes...), consequently making things a little predictable. But I will happily go see whatever it is that she does next. 
And I cannot wait to see Ferran in something again.

I've just returned two £10 rear stalls tickets for this Saturday's matinee (7th January). Snap them up so I can get a refund

I just returned 1 ticket for the evening performance of Wednesday 11th January. It's on the end of the first row of the Circle (20 pounds).
So i suppose that tomorrow morning it will show up on their website in case somebody wants it.

She’s not.
Saw tonight and thought she was wonderful. She probably is a little young, but my god they hit the jackpot when she happened to be available to fill in last minute. Brilliant.