Always depended upon the kindness of strangers....

I saw the new B'way revival of A Streetcar Named Desire this past evening. I don't recommend it.

Natasha Richardson's Blanche DuBois is devoid of fragility. You never feel for her. John C. Reilly's Stanley is an interesting portrayal. Unfortunately, there are no sparks between the two of them, leaving the play's center unsupported.

The actors playing Stella and Mitch (Amy Ryan and Chris Bauer) are the best in the show...and they are remarkable.

But the one thing I couldn't stand was the "soundtrack". When Blanche was going nuts trying to call Shep, there were weird sounds playing over speakers. Do they think audiences are that stupid? Talk about trying to beat someone over the head with your concept. The "cat" sounds also sounded really fake.

One thing that really pissed me off about this production is how Blanche's intrusion into Stanley and Stella's world didn't spark anything dramatic. In the past, I've always felt that Stanley's brutishness and violent nature must have always existed. But I also believe that he has been trying to suppress it. Stanley has cooked it up in his head that Stella looks down on him for his "common-ness." He aspires to be more than what he should be for that expectation. He is the only one amongst his mates who seems to be advancing in his career.

Now, Stella's sister shows up spouting statements about him as a commoner, giving voice to what he perceived Stella as thinking about him as well. Thus, the violence erupts. He even hits Stella. We have no reason to believe that his emotional rises ever came to blows in the past. Stanley, a much more evolved man than we assume him to be does not like what Blanche brings out in him. And he must remove her to return to the path he had dreamed of for his wife and the baby they are expecting. He buys Blanche a bus ticket. He rapes her. He must destroy the thing that makes him brutish.

In this production, you get the feeling that Stanley always beats Stella. The stakes are not high for him. He becomes blase to Blanche instead of determined to rid his home of her.

The psychological complexity is missing here....and that's too bad. For such an important entry in American Drama, Streetcar deserves better treatment.