Blair Underwood, left, as Stanley and Nicole Ari Parker as Blanche in the Broadway revival of “A Streetcar Named Desire” at the Broadhurst Theater in New York City.
It’s a twist that makes lots of sense when you think about it. Love comes in all colors, shapes and sizes and the episodes of life break through stronger than ever in this play.
Starring a full leading cast of African Americans, including Blair Underwood (best known for “L.A. Law” on television) as the brutish Stanley Kowalski and Nicole Ari Parker (the Showtime series “Soul Food”) as the formidable Blanche DuBois.
Set in the easy-going city of a New Orleans quarter, the drama unfolds as quickly as the liquor flows and poker is played in the home its residents, Stanley and his pregnant wife Daphne Rubin-Vega (as Blanche’s sister, Stella). Blanche, who does a marvelous job with the Southern accent, works as a high school teacher, but school is out for the summer, therefore, she is visiting Stella for the summer, as they both try to figure out their lives and their place in the world and with each other. She has strong reservations about revealing her actual age and strong fondness for liquor. She also tries to cover up her deviant sexual past by inventing a timeline to justify local rumors.
The production, by Emily Mann at the Broadhurst Theater, lures your imagination into the gritty life of four men and their poker table. They are fully focused on the cards in their hands and tune-out everything else, including the lives of those around them as insults are thrown back-and-forth between their rounds. The testosterone flows as heavy as the liquor and the womenfolk try to hold their own—as much as possible—while maintaining their femininity. But in such an explosive emotional environment anything can happen.
Pregnant Stella, is constantly enduring the rage and physical beatings of her husband, with eruptions that cause Blanche to step in, trying to get Stella to leave her domestic situation. Pregnant and deeply in love with her husband, Stella continues to refuse.
A true American drama is played out over the 2.5 hours and in the end, a very desperate Blanch endures a heartbreaking breakdown that leads her away to the insane asylum.
The actors are excellent and portray their roles without doubt. They seem not to care about past performances and engulf their talents in creating an exhilarating and memorable play that will forever be a part of Broadway’s magnificent history.
