Editing A Streetcar Named Desire (section)

== Production history ==

=== Original Broadway production ===
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|image1=Marlon Brando Streetcar 1948 e.jpg
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|caption2=[[Carl Van Vechten]] portrait photograph of [[Marlon Brando]] during the Broadway production of ''A Streetcar Named Desire'' (December 27, 1948)}}
The original Broadway production was produced by [[Irene Mayer Selznick]] and directed by [[Elia Kazan]].<ref name="ibdb" /> It opened at the [[Shubert Theatre (New Haven)| Shubert Theatre]] in [[New Haven, Connecticut|New Haven]], [[Connecticut]] in early November 1947, then played the [[Walnut Street Theatre]] in [[Philadelphia]] before moving to the [[Ethel Barrymore Theatre]] on December 3, 1947.<ref name="ibdb" /> Selznick originally wanted to cast [[Margaret Sullavan]] and [[John Garfield]], but settled on the less well-known [[Jessica Tandy]] and a virtual unknown at the time, [[Marlon Brando]]. The opening night cast also included [[Kim Hunter]] as Stella and [[Karl Malden]] as Mitch.<ref name="ibdb" /> Tandy was cast after Williams saw her performance in a West Coast production of his one-act play ''[[Portrait of a Madonna]]''. Williams believed that casting Brando, who was young for the part as it was originally conceived, would evolve Kowalski from being a vicious older man to someone whose unintentional cruelty can be attributed to youthful ignorance. Despite its shocking scenes and gritty dialogue, the audience applauded the debut performance.<ref>December 3, ''This Day In History Calendar (2008)'', Sourcebooks, Inc.</ref> [[Brooks Atkinson]], reviewing the opening in ''The New York Times'', described Tandy's "superb performance" as "almost incredibly true", concluding that Williams "has spun a poignant and luminous story".<ref>{{Cite web|title=Original Review of 'A Streetcar Named Desire'|url=https://archive.nytimes.com/www.nytimes.com/interactive/2012/04/23/theater/20120423-streetcar.html?_r=0|access-date=2022-12-23|website=archive.nytimes.com}}</ref>

Later in the run, [[Uta Hagen]] succeeded Tandy, [[Carmelita Pope]] succeeded Hunter, and [[Anthony Quinn]] succeeded Brando. Hagen and Quinn took the show on a national tour directed by [[Harold Clurman]], and then returned to Broadway for additional performances. [[Ralph Meeker]] also took on the part of Stanley both in the Broadway and touring companies. Tandy received a [[Tony Award for Best Actress in a Play]] in 1948, sharing the honor with [[Judith Anderson]] and [[Katharine Cornell]]. The original Broadway production closed, after 855 performances, in 1949.

The Original cast included, [[Jessica Tandy]] as [[Blanche DuBois]], [[Karl Malden]] as Harold "Mitch" Mitchell, [[Marlon Brando]] as [[Stanley Kowalski]], [[Kim Hunter]] as [[Stella Kowalski]], [[Rudy Bond]] as Steve Hubbell, [[Nick Dennis]] as Pablo Gonzales, [[Peg Hillias]] as Eunice Hubbell, Vito Christi as Young Collector, [[Richard Garrick]] as Doctor, Ann Dere as Nurse (later called the Matron), [[Gee Gee James]] as Negro Woman and [[Edna Lewis Thomas|Edna Thomas]] as Mexican Woman.

=== Other early productions ===
The first adaptation of ''Streetcar'' in Greece was performed in 1948 by Koun's Art Theater, two years before its film adaptation and one year before its London premiere, directed by [[Karolos Koun]] starring [[Melina Mercouri]] as Blanche and [[Vasilis Diamantopoulos]] as Stanley, with original music by [[Manos Hadjidakis]].

The London production, directed by [[Laurence Olivier]], opened at the [[Aldwych Theatre]] on October 12, 1949. It starred [[Bonar Colleano]] as Stanley, [[Vivien Leigh]] as Blanche, [[Renée Asherson]] as Stella and [[Bernard Braden]] as Mitch.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://theatricalia.com/play/427/a-streetcar-named-desire/production/ms8|title=Production of A Streetcar Named Desire – Theatricalia|website=theatricalia.com|access-date=January 28, 2019}}</ref>

An Australian production with [[Viola Keats]] as Blanche and [[Arthur Franz]] as Stanley opened at the [[Comedy Theatre, Melbourne|Comedy Theatre]] in Melbourne in February 1950.<ref>{{Cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article187344203 |title='Streetcar' Poetic, But Controversial |newspaper=[[The Age]] |location=Victoria, Australia |date=20 February 1950 |access-date=30 May 2020 |page=3 |via=Trove }}</ref>

=== Revivals ===
The first all-black production of ''Streetcar'' was likely performed by the Summer Theatre Company at Lincoln University in Jefferson City, Missouri, in August 1953 and directed by one of Williams's former classmates at Iowa, Thomas D. Pawley, as noted in the ''Streetcar'' edition of the "Plays in Production" series published by Cambridge University Press.

[[Tallulah Bankhead]], for whom Williams originally had written the role of Blanche, starred in a 1956 New York City Center Company production directed by Herbert Machiz.<ref>{{Cite web|title=A Tribute From Tennessee Williams To 'Heroic Tallulah Bankhead'|url=https://archive.nytimes.com/www.nytimes.com/books/00/12/31/specials/williams-bankhead.html|access-date=2022-12-23|website=archive.nytimes.com}}</ref>

In 1972, American composer [[Frances Ziffer]] set ''A Streetcar Named Desire'' to music.<ref>{{Cite book|url=http://worldcat.org/oclc/435995545|title=The New York Times theater reviews. 1971-1972-|publisher=The New York Times & Arno Press|oclc=435995545}}</ref>

The first Broadway revival of the play was in 1973. It was produced by the [[Lincoln Center]], at the [[Vivian Beaumont Theater]], and starred [[Rosemary Harris]] as Blanche, [[James Farentino]] as Stanley and [[Patricia Conolly]] as Stella.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Barnes |first=Clive |url=https://select.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=FB0F16F8395C1A7A93C5AB178FD85F478785F9&scp=2&sq=the%20streetcar%20named%20desire,%20lincoln%20center,%20ellis%20rabb&st=cse |title=A Rare 'Streetcar'; Fresh Approach Taken at Vivian Beaumont |newspaper=The New York Times |date=April 27, 1973 |access-date=September 26, 2012}}</ref>

In 1976, [[Rip Torn]] enlisted director [[Jack Gelber]] to helm a revival at the once celebrated Academy Festival Theatre in [[Lake Forest, Illinois]]<ref>{{Cite web|title=BARAT GROUP EKES OUT A NEW SERIES|website=[[Chicago Tribune]] |url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-xpm-1992-07-10-9203020339-story.html|date=1992-07-10}}</ref> starring himself as Stanley and his wife [[Geraldine Page]] as Blanche. The production was threateningly realistic, projecting a
brightly lit, garbage-filled stage reflecting a hostile, predatory world  and immersing the audience in a total
theatre experience. Gelber's Streetcar was troubling for the critics because it was raw, even
dangerous. It pushed the Streetcar script to the farthest reaches of
urban violence and unabated naturalism. One review said "This is not the Blanche of butterfly wings. This is gossamer with guts." Page's performance was described as displaying little of Leigh's hysteria or Tandy's forlorn helplessness.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Kolin |first=Philip C.|title=Williams:A Streetcar Named Desire|publisher=Cambridge University Press|date=2000}}</ref>

The spring 1988 revival at the [[Circle in the Square Theatre]] starred [[Aidan Quinn]] opposite [[Blythe Danner]] as Blanche and [[Frances McDormand]] as Stella.<ref>Production notes. [http://www.ibdb.com/production.php?id=4496 March 10 – May 22, 1988.]  IBDb.com</ref>

A highly publicized and acclaimed  revival in 1992 starred [[Alec Baldwin]] as Stanley and [[Jessica Lange]] as Blanche. It was staged at the [[Ethel Barrymore Theatre]], where the original production was staged. This production proved so successful that it was filmed for television. It featured [[Timothy Carhart]] as Mitch and [[Amy Madigan]] as Stella, as well as future ''[[The Sopranos|Sopranos]]'' stars [[James Gandolfini]] and [[Aida Turturro]]. Gandolfini was Carhart's understudy.<ref>Production notes. [http://www.ibdb.com/production.php?id=4677 April 12—August 9, 1992.]  IBDb.com</ref>

In 1997, [[Le Petit Theatre du Vieux Carre|Le Petit Theatre du Vieux Carré]] in New Orleans mounted a 50th Anniversary production, with music by the [[Marsalis family]], starring [[Michael Arata]] and Shelly Poncy. In 2009, the [[Walnut Street Theatre]] in Philadelphia, where the original pre-Broadway tryout was held, staged a production of the play.

In 1997, at Steppenwolf Theatre, Chicago IL, Gary Sinise as Stanley, John C Reilly as Mitch, Kathryn Erbe as Stella, and Laila Robins as Blanche.

[[Glenn Close]] starred in [[Trevor Nunn]]'s 2002 production for the [[Royal National Theatre|National Theatre]] at the Lyttleton Theatre, London.

The 2005 Broadway revival was directed by Edward Hall and produced by The Roundabout Theater Company. It starred [[John C. Reilly]] as Stanley, [[Amy Ryan]] as Stella, and [[Natasha Richardson]] as Blanche.<ref>Production notes. [http://www.ibdb.com/production.php?id=381031 April 26–July 3, 2005.] IBDb.com</ref> The production was  Richardson's final appearance on Broadway; she died in 2009 following a skiing accident.

Bette Bourne and Paul Shaw of the British gay theater company Bloolips, and Peggy Shaw and Lois Weaver of the American lesbian theater company Split Britches, collaborated and performed a gender-bent adaptation titled ''Belle Reprieve''. Blanche was played as "man in a dress", Stanley as a "butch lesbian", Mitch as a "fairy disguised as a man", and Stella as a "woman disguised as a woman".<ref>Geis, Deborah. "Deconstructing (A Streetcar Named) Desire: Gender Recitation in Belle Reprieve". Feminist Theatrical Revisions of Classic Works. Ed. Sharon Friedman. Jefferson, NC and London: McFarland & Company, Inc., 2009. 237-246. Print.</ref>

The [[Sydney Theatre Company]] production of ''A Streetcar Named Desire'' premiered on September 5 and ran until October 17, 2009. This production, directed by [[Liv Ullmann]], starred [[Cate Blanchett]] as Blanche, [[Joel Edgerton]] as Stanley, [[Robin McLeavy]] as Stella and Tim Richards as Mitch.<ref name="sydneytheatre">{{Cite web|title=A Streetcar Named Desire |work=SydneyTheatre.com.au |publisher=[[Sydney Theatre Company]] |url=http://www.sydneytheatre.com.au/2009/astreetcarnameddesire |access-date=June 21, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110614153332/http://www.sydneytheatre.com.au/2009/astreetcarnameddesire |archive-date=June 14, 2011 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

From July 2009 until October 2009, [[Rachel Weisz]] and [[Ruth Wilson (actress)|Ruth Wilson]] starred in a highly acclaimed revival of the play in London's West End at the [[Donmar Warehouse]] directed by [[Rob Ashford]].

In April 2012, [[Blair Underwood]], [[Nicole Ari Parker]], [[Daphne Rubin-Vega]] and [[Wood Harris]] starred in a multiracial adaptation at the [[Broadhurst Theatre]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.npr.org/2012/04/21/151041371/blair-underwood-on-stanley-stella-and-streetcar|title=Blair Underwood On Stanley, Stella And 'Streetcar'|access-date=May 2, 2012|date=May 1, 2012|publisher=[[National Public Radio]]}}</ref> Theatre review aggregator ''Curtain Critic'' gave the production a score of 61 out of 100 based on the opinions of 17 critics.<ref>{{Cite web|title=A Streetcar Named Desire|url=http://www.curtaincritic.com/Shows/A_STREETCAR_NAMED_DESIRE_REVIEWS-142.html|publisher=Curtain Critic|access-date=June 21, 2012}}</ref>

A production at the [[Young Vic]], London, opened on July 23, 2014, and closed on September 19, 2014. Directed by Benedict Andrews and starring [[Gillian Anderson]], [[Ben Foster (actor)|Ben Foster]], [[Vanessa Kirby]] and [[Corey Johnson (actor)|Corey Johnson]]; this production garnered critical acclaim and is the fastest-selling show  produced by the Young Vic.<ref>{{Cite web|title=A Streetcar Named Desire|url=https://www.youngvic.org/whats-on/a-streetcar-named-desire|access-date=2022-12-23|website=Young Vic website|date=July 23, 2014 |language=en}}</ref> On September 16, 2014, the performance was relayed live to over one thousand cinemas in the UK as part of the [[National Theatre Live]] project.<ref>{{Cite web|title=National Theatre Live|url=https://www.ntlive.com/|access-date=2022-12-23|website=National Theatre Live {{pipe}} Official website {{pipe}} Filmed live theatre|language=en}}</ref> Thus far, the production has been screened in over 2000 venues.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.standard.co.uk/showbiz/celebrity-news/gillian-anderson-self-destruction-is-my-default-mode-9897489.html|title=Gillian Anderson: Self destruction is my default mode|date=December 3, 2014|author=Nick Curtis|work= Evening Standard|access-date=November 9, 2015}}</ref> From April 23, 2016, until June 4, 2016, the production was reprised at the new [[St. Ann's Warehouse]] in Brooklyn, New York City.<ref name="St.Ann">{{Cite web|title=St. Ann's Warehouse – A Young Vic & Joshua Andrews Co-Production|url=http://stannswarehouse.org/show/streetcar-named-desire/|website=St. Ann's Warehouse|access-date=April 27, 2016}}</ref> In 2020 during the COVID-19 lockdowns, it was released for free on YouTube as part of the National Theatre At Home series.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.nationaltheatre.org.uk/shows/nt-at-home-a-streetcar-named-desire|title=National Theatre at Home: ''A Streetcar Named Desire''|date=May 2020|publisher=National Theatre|access-date=28 May 2020}}</ref>

In 2016 [[Sarah Frankcom]] directed a production at the [[Royal Exchange, Manchester|Royal Exchange]] in Manchester starring [[Maxine Peake]], [[Ben Batt]], [[Sharon Duncan Brewster]] and [[Youssef Kerkour]]. It opened on 8 September and closed on 15 October. It was well-received, and Peake's performance in particular received praise.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2016/sep/18/streetcar-named-desire-review-maxine-peake-royal-exchange-manchester|title=Maxine Peake stalks to the heart of Blanche DuBois|website=Theguardian.com|date=September 18, 2016|access-date=23 September 2016}}</ref>

In 2018, it headlined the third annual Tennessee Williams Festival St. Louis at the Grandel Theatre. Carrie Houk, the Festival's Executive Artistic Director, and Tim Ocel, the director of the play, chose to cast the play with actors whose ages were close to Tennessee Williams' original intentions.  (The birthday party is for Blanche's 30th birthday.)  Sophia Brown starred as Blanche, with Nick Narcisi as Stanley, Lana Dvorak as Stella, and Spencer Sickmann as Mitch. Henry Polkes composed the original score, and James Wolk designed the set. The critics were unanimous in their praise.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.riverfronttimes.com/stlouis/a-streetcar-named-desire-kicks-off-the-tennessee-williams-festival/Content?oid=18723087 |title=''A Streetcar Named Desire'' Triumphs at the Tennessee Williams Festival |first=Sarah |last=Fenske |date=11 May 2018 |work=Riverfront Times}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.stltoday.com/entertainment/arts-and-theatre/reviews/a-streetcar-named-desire-sizzles-in-its-own-poetry/article_351d72a7-e373-59ab-90b2-e002bb3bcea9.html |title='A Streetcar Named Desire' sizzles in its own poetry |first=Judith |last=Newmark |date=11 May 2018 |work=St. Louis Post-Dispatch}}</ref>

The play was revived again in 2022 at London's [[Almeida Theatre]] under the direction of [[Rebecca Frecknall]], with [[Patsy Ferran]] taking the role of Blanche opposite [[Paul Mescal]] as Stanley, and [[Anjana Vasan]] as Stella. The play received widespread critical acclaim<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2023/jan/25/a-streetcar-named-desire-with-paul-mescal-transfers-to-west-end|title=A Streetcar Named Desire with Paul Mescal transfers to West End|work=[[The Guardian]]|first=Chris|last=Wiegand|date=25 January 2023|accessdate=26 January 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230129194931/https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2023/jan/25/a-streetcar-named-desire-with-paul-mescal-transfers-to-west-end|archive-date=29 January 2023|url-status=live}}</ref> and its [[West End theatre|West End]] transfer became the fastest-selling production to date in any [[Ambassador Theatre Group]] venue.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.whatsonstage.com/london-theatre/news/a-streetcar-named-desire-patsy-ferran-paul-mescal_58258.html|title=A Streetcar Named Desire with Patsy Ferran, Paul Mescal and Anjana Vasan sells out in two hours and breaks records|work=WhatsOnStage|first=Alex|last=Wood|date=1 February 2023|accessdate=6 February 2023}}</ref> The revival received 6 [[Laurence Olivier Awards]] nominations, winning 3; Best Revival, Best Actor and Best Supporting Actress for Mescal and Vasan respectively.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.whatsonstage.com/london-theatre/news/olivier-awards-2023-nominees_58433.html|title=Olivier Awards 2023 nominations announced – see the full list|work=[[WhatsOnStage.com]]|first=Alex|last=Wood|date=28 February 2023|accessdate=28 February 2023}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.reuters.com/lifestyle/spotlight-london-hosts-olivier-awards-theatre-2023-04-02/|title=Paul Mescal, Jodie Comer win prizes at London theatre's Olivier awards|work=Reuters|first=Marie-louise|last= Gumuchian |date=2 April 2023|accessdate=2 April 2023}}</ref>

In February 2024, [[Sewanee: the University of the South]], a liberal arts school that received much of Tennessee Williams' estate, revived the play, under the direction of James Crawford. The Tennessee Williams Center in Sewanee houses the university's theatre departments while the school owns the rights to Williams' works.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://new.sewanee.edu/offices/university-offices/general-counsel/tennessee-williams/ |title=Tennessee Williams |website=new.sewanee.edu |access-date=2024-04-15}}</ref> With the show being sold out within days, the production received local acclaim from residents and the student body.

A [[Pitlochry Festival Theatre]] production of the play, directed by Elizabeth Newman and with Kirsty Stuart in the role of Blanche DuBois, was staged at the [[Lyceum Theatre, Edinburgh]] in October and November 2024.<ref> Baillie, Mary, (4 November 2024) [https://www.broadwayworld.com/scotland/article/Review-A-STREETCAR-NAMED-DESIRE-Royal-Lyceum-Theatre-20241104 Review: ''A Streetcar Named Desire'', Royal Lyceum Theatre], ''[[BroadwayWorld|Broadway World]]'', Scotland</ref>

The 2022 Almeida Theatre production is scheduled to return to the West End for a limited three week run at the [[Noël Coward Theatre]] from 3 February 2025. The show is then scheduled to transfer to New York City at the [[Brooklyn Academy of Music]] from 28 February 2025. The entire 2022 revival cast is expected to reprise their roles.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2024-11-09 |title=A Streetcar Named Desire with Paul Mescal to return to the West End before New York run |url=https://www.whatsonstage.com/news/a-streetcar-named-desire-with-paul-mescal-to-return-to-the-west-end-before-new-york-run_1650282/ |access-date=2025-01-08 |language=en-US}}</ref>

In March 2025 a Sheffield Theatres production is running at the [[Crucible Theatre]] in Sheffield. Directed by Josh Seymour. The cast includes [[Joanna Vanderham]] as Blanche. With Amara Okereke as Stella, Jake Dunn as Stanley and Taylor Kovacevic-Ebong as Mitch.