Tennessee Williams’ A Streetcar Named Desire needs little introduction, being one of the major enduring works that has launched Hollywood superstardom careers, pop culture references abound, and has been studied by generations of students.

The enduring legacy of characters like former Southern Belle Blanche DuBois, and Stanley and Stella Kowalski, remain a fixture in the minds of audiences and in pop culture.

Yet, the sexual violence and cruelty of the late 1940s, which was once cheered on by audiences, has now become viewed in a far different light in the post #MeToo era.

“Blanche has certainly lived through a lot of things that women of my generation didn’t face, but our grandmothers faced, and our mothers understood, and were passed down to us,” said Lindsey Angell, who is playing Blanche DuBois in the Theatre Calgary production.

“It’s not as though she’s looking to be seen as the victim, or to change the world because of what she’s faced. She’s really just wanting to be able to find a way forward.”

Angell said that perception shift means that the Theatre Calgary production disengages from the idea of DuBois’ mental breakdown as that of a hysterical woman, but rather that of a flawed character whose life is unraveling before the eyes of the audience.

“It really is about these flawed characters crashing into each other and really fighting desperately for what they need, whether or not that’s a good or a bad thing. It’s really about a battle of being understood and being loved,” Angell said.

That dynamic was between the softness and also toughness and strength of DuBois—and is the reason why so many actors have become smitten with the idea of playing her, she said.

“The themes that are explored in the play are so dynamic. So, I think it’s really a great part that one can interpret. Of course, over the years, many actresses have played her. So, I think it’s always exciting to see what each individual artist and ensemble will bring to this piece and to the sort of discovery of who Blanche is,” Angell said.

That excitement to be a part of the production was echoed by Heidi Damayo, who is playing Stella Kowalski.

“I remember reading it in Grade 12 and understanding it to be this great work, this literary masterpiece. Then when I saw the call for it, I was like, ‘oh my god,'” Damayo said.

“I didn’t think it would be a part that I’d actually get the chance to play in my career.”

She said that stepping into the role of Stella Kowalski was among the most “delicious parts that I’ve ever been able to play.”

“The reason it’s famous is that it’s so deep and beautiful and poetic and evocative and full of subtext, and these characters are so multi-dimensional. I love doing parts that other people have done a lot because I absolutely check out what other people have done, do my research, and read some academic essays,” she said.

“Tennessee Williams has built such an incredible world and a script with so many dimensions that there’s always a new thing to find and a new place to go. So, you can’t ever be the same as another actor.”

She said that one of the things that she discovered in that research was a beautiful quote by Williams on seeing women truthfully.

“I have been a lifelong witness to the abuse of women, and I am on their side in this fight. Words are my weapons,” wrote Williams.

The differences between what contemporary audiences to the first runs of the production, and how modern audiences now react to elements of the play can be stark even though A Streetcar Named Desire has remained the same, Damayo said.

“In the 50s, there were times when people literally clapped for Stanley when he assaults Blanche. The audience reactions changed throughout the decades. But I think the purpose of the play has actually stayed the same, which is to show the strength of women, the struggle, and also the beauty and how much resilience can be found.”

“Even when women are taught to be highly impractical, like Blanche, or when they don’t have any other choice but to be in the relationship that they’re in like Stella. There’s this undercurrent of strength and and resiliency that I think will still resonate with audiences today.”

Not Marlon Brando, nor Ned Flanders

Stafford Perry, who is playing Stanley Kowalski in Streetcar, laughed about the the number of ways that the character has been embodied—from the storied Academy Award-winning version that still looms large by Marlon Brando, to the pop culture take that has Ned Flanders from the Simpsons mockingly turn the role into a musical.

“Maybe my versions of combo,” he laughed.

“Often when you say you’re playing it, people are like, ‘are you Marlon Brando? Are you playing Marlon Brando?’ I know I’m playing Stanley, but it’s so connected with him. But it’s a dream.”

He said that taking on the role, he hoped that in 2025 there would be progression in the ideas that audiences have about the role and the power dynamics within the play.

“My job as an act within that role is to bring humanity to it, not to justify or excuse the behaviour, but to fully motivate it so people can start to see some of the things that it comes from,” Perry said.

“You feel it with audiences. You don’t want there to be a validation or a permission to them to leave approving of Stanley’s actions. But it’s harder when it’s realistic and there’s an understanding shared in humanity, not just a villain, but someone who is human and hurting and then causes a lot of damage based out of insecurities.”

He said that the play itself was very dear to his heart, because of the work that he does outside of the theatre in violence prevention for men and boys.

“This connection for me getting to dive into Stanley and this aspect of health-harming masculinity, and tell it through the words of Tennessee Williams, for me, is a real connection to that work I get to do here in the Calgary community.”

“I want folks to come in here and feel with us, feel the impact, take away the beauty, the tenderness, the things that we really need to work to take care of in our world and in our relationships and communities. And see the damage that happens when those things aren’t taken care of.”

A Streetcar Named Desire runs from Jan. 28 through Feb. 23, at Theatre Calgary. Tickets are on sale now at www.theatrecalgary.com/shows/2024-2025-a-streetcar-named-desire.

Photos from A Streetcar Named Desire