A STREETCAR NAMED DESIRE A REVIEW

In his play A Streetcar Named Desire, Tennessee Williams wrote what many people consider the great American tragedy, and some consider it his best play. This tale of unbridled passion and the destruction of it's central character was a sensation when it was first done on Broadway in 1947, and became a memorable movie in 1951. It is now being offered by the Sydney Australia Theatre Company in a highly anticipated if uneven and leisurly production.
Most of the anticipation is because the actress Cate Blanchett is appearing in the central role of Blanche Dubois the tragic lead,and she gives a stunning performance in one of the theatre's most demanding roles.
She is backed up by an Australian company of actors who give their all and are mostly effective in their roles.
Liv Ullmann directs the show intellegently if a bit leisurly permitting lags between scenes that swelles the show's running time to almost three and a half hours, but this approach does pay off in the play's shattering final scene,and the use of New Orleans jazz is used most effectivly.
Is this streetcar one for the ages? Maybe not, but it is an effective and emotionally engaging production of a classic American play and one of the better ones that I have seen.
At THE BAM HARVEY THEATRE 651 FULTON STREET BROOKLYN N.Y. Thru December 20th and seats are hard to get, but it's worth trying to get them.