REVIEW | A Streetcar Named Desire, Scottish Ballet
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
Reviewer - Kathryn
*Disclaimer: Gifted tickets in return for an honest review.
First performed in 2012, Scottish Ballet’s internationally acclaimed A Streetcar Named Desire returns to the stage for a new Scottish tour that delivers a visual delight from start to finish, touching our hearts and speaking to our very nature as humans.
Many are familiar with the story, Tennessee Williams’ A Streetcar Named Desire is an American classic that has captured the emotions of many audiences since the original play premiered in 1947. We follow the journey of faded southern belle Blanche Dubois (impeccably danced by Marge Hendrick) as she travels to New Orleans, haunted by the death of her husband Alan (Javier Andreu), who died after Blanche discovered him in the arms of another man. She moves in with her sister Stella (Bethany Kingsley-Garner) and her husband Stanley (Ryoichi Hirano) who resents Blanche’s presence in his home.
This is not your typical classical ballet. The themes of death, mental health, consent, sexuality and desire are portrayed through the brave choreography and direction from Annabelle Lopez Ochoa and Nancy Meckler. Inspirations from jazz music and the dances of the times can be seen through much of the ensemble numbers as the story moves flawlessly through locations like cinemas, nightclubs, and bowling alleys.
Peter Salem’s score is simply stunning and just pulls the whole production together, feeling much more like a cinematic score than that of a ballet. Although influenced heavily by the jazz, blues and swing music popular at the time, the score still feels contemporary and modern.
Nicola Turner’s set is stripped-back, giving the stage an industrial feel. Much of the set is made from metal crates that the artists travel around the stage with, incorporating the changing of locations into the choreography. This means that audiences can stay focused on the moment as everything on stage works together with perfect timing to take us on the journey. As Blanche’s world falls apart, so do the crates that make up her family home. These become the streetcar that takes Blanche to her new life in New Orleans. They become a nightclub, a cinema, and the interior of Stella and Stanley’s apartment. It all feels very symbolic.
Tim Mitchell’s excellent lighting only adds to the audience experience. The opening features Blanche fluttering almost moth-like under a single lightbulb, a theme echoed throughout the production, and this particular moment really helped to draw audiences into the story and set the scene. Likewise, a simple lighting change when Blanche’s husband Alan locks eyes with his lover for the first time, an almost blink-and-you-’d-miss-it moment, highlighted how for Blanche everything really changed in this one, a single second in time.
Scottish Ballet are a truly versatile company and Streetcar highlights their continued skill at taking classic stories and breathing new life into them through the power of ballet. A Streetcar Named Desire grips audiences from the very first moment, appealing to our very nature as humans and making us think about difficult themes in a new way. It’s innovative and emotive, visually and musically stunning. The production doesn’t shy away from the tough moments and feels quite gritty in places but this only adds to the overall emotion taken away from the performance.
Scottish Ballet’s A Streetcar Named Desire is touring to Inverness (21-22 April), Aberdeen (27-29 April), Edinburgh (3-6 May), Kirkwall (22-23 June) and Stornoway (29-30 June). You can book your tickets here.
