**** Highly Recommended It’s cold outside, but who cares? Warm up at Aurora’s Copley Theatre with the smoldering heat generated by the cast of A Streetcar Named Desire! Although this Tennessee Williams classic premiered in 1947, its themes are very relevant today. This production is absolutely sizzling – and – of course, there’s always that famous yell! 4 BIG Spotlights
Amanda Drinkall delivers a tour de force performance as Blanche Dubois, a truly complicated character. On the surface, she seems like a Southern belle fallen on hard times who is trying desperately to keep up appearances. She’s arrogant, snobbish, selfish and defensive, quick to attack when she feels cornered.
Casey Hoekstra’s Stanley Kowalski was just exactly what he should have been – loud, angry, brash, suspicious, opinionated and brutal. He might just have two rooms in the Quarter, but he’s still the king of his castle. While he clearly loves his Stella (Alina Taber), he doesn’t allow her to interfere – not with his bowling, or his poker game, or his suspicions about her sister.
Stella is in a difficult position. She’s crazy about Stanley but she loves her sister too. When Blanche criticizes Stanley, Stella jumps to defend him. When Stanley is suspicious or critical of Blanche, she finds excuses for her behavior.
Shortly after Blanche’s arrival, Stella took Blanche out while Stanley had his regular poker game. When they got home, she met his poker buddies, Harold ‘Mitch’ Mitchell (Ben Page), Steve Hubbell (Joshua L. Green) and Pablo Golzales (Roberto Antonio Mántica). There was an instant attraction between Blanche and “Mitch”.
Landlady and neighbor Eunice Hubbell (Andrea Uppling) is clearly the ruler of her house. Also appearing were Adriel Irizarry as the Doctor and Desiree Gonzalez as the Nurse and the flower vendor.
Kudos to co-directors Jim Corti & Elizabeth Swanson on the stellar production. Scenic Designer Angela Weber Miller found a way to fit a two-room flat into the limited space available onstage. I wonder where she found the refrigerator. Kudos to Mara Blumenfeld for the costumes. I remember my mother wearing similar dresses. And then there are Stanley’s bowling shirt and wife-beaters …
A Streetcar Named Desire runs through April 21st in the Copley Theatre, North Island Center, 8 E. Galena Blvd., Aurora. Plenty of street parking is available. Running time is approximately 2 hours, 45 minutes, with an intermission. Performances are Wednesdays at 1:30 & 7:00 pm, Thursdays at 7:00 pm; Fridays at 8:00 pm, Saturdays at 2:00 and 8:00 pm, Sundays at 1:00 and 5:30 pm. Tickets range from $40-$55. FYI (630) 896-6666 or www.paramountaurora.com.
