Streetcar strong but long

BAILA LAZARUS EDITOR

A cast of strong actors, a beautiful set and the potent words of Tennessee Williams combine to make A Streetcar Named Desire one of the best theatrical performances in recent years at the Norman Rothstein Theatre.

Gina Chiarelli is fragile and tragic as the touched Blanche Dubois, whose sorrow-filled past has made her desperate for love and attention. Lucia Frangione plays Blanche's conflicted sister, Stella Kowalski, who is torn between believing her husband and trusting her sister. And Craig Erickson is Stanley Kowalski, Stella's violent, feral husband. Though Erickson fits the part of Stanley physically, what's missing is the seething anger and brutality that the audience should feel simmering just under his skin. At the opening of the play, he seems far too cheery and it seems incongruous with the symbol of brute strength one would expect. Though this improves as the play progresses, he still comes across as someone who is trying to be a tough guy, rather than someone who embodies toughness naturally.

Another problem with the play is its length. Director Jeremy Tow's understanding and love for Streetcar is evident in this adaptation but, like a writer who considers all his words sacred and finds cutting his work painful, so it seems that Tow's in love with the minutiae of this production, leaving the play in desperate need of tightening. The first act, which runs an extremely uncomfortable hour and 45 minutes, could have and should have been shortened to an hour and a half. By the end of the second act, the audience is desperately waiting for the "kindness of strangers" line signalling the end of the play.

Overall, though, the production was excellent. Get your tickets before it's gone. Streetcar runs at the Jewish Community Centre of Greater Vancouver until Jan. 30. Call 604-257-5111 for information.

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