Intimate performance of A Street Car Named Desire
Review by Lily Bowen
The Asylum Players delivered an emotionally charged adaptation of Tennessee Williams’ A Streetcar Car Named Desire on its opening night at the Blue Room, Lincoln.
The American story of love, loss and revenge was directed Stephen Gillard and the theatre group captured the play’s light humour and emotional intensity.
The intimacy of The Lawn venue created a tense atmosphere and the T-shaped stage that extended into the audience heightened the sense of being part of the tableau.
The scene transitions were smooth despite the tight space with the cast handling the mess of broken bottles, smashed glass and scattered poker chips impressively to keep the action flowing. I think the minimalist set really reflected Stella and Stanley’s working-class lifestyle.
I enjoyed the lighting designs and the contrast between Act 1 lighting and Act 2 really stood out to me. The warmer tones of the first act transitioned smoothly into a darker blue, reflecting on Stanley’s growing aggression and Blanche’s emotional decline.
One lighting state that really stood out to me was the fire-like flicker of orange and yellow gels showing Blanche’s sense of entrapment.
Nicola Calver was brilliant as Blanche and captured her excitement when reuniting with her sister, before revealing her traumatic past that continued to haunt her throughout.
Mark Brewer delivered a powerful performance as Stanley, highlighting a true toxic masculine tone of a manipulator. His proximity to the audience made his outbursts of violence even more unsettling, drawing audible reactions from surrounding viewers.
The cast maintained a strong chemistry throughout and I found pauses in speech were used effectively to build the tension. Stella (Laura Turner) and Stanley’s relationship felt both real and disturbing, showing the themes of control and vulnerability.
I enjoyed the poker scenes and casual drinking of the male characters which highlighted the masculine dominance. The costumes perfectly reflected 20th century America and really fitted each character’s role.
The Asylum Players’ adaptation of A Streetcar Named Desire was an emotionally driven performance which I believe had lasting impact on the audience as they left The Blue Room.
The play can be seen from Thursday – Saturday, October 23-25 and tickets at £20 are available at www.lawnlincoln.com/the-blue-room-events