December 8, 2009

suicideblonde: Blanche DuBois may well be the great part for an actress in the American theater, and I have seen her portrayed by an assortment of formidable stars including Jessica Lange, Glenn Close, Patricia ClarksonNatasha Richardson. Yet there’s a see-sawing between strength and fragility in Blanche, and too often those who play her fall irrevocably onto one side or another. and Watching such portrayals, I always hear the voice of Vivien Leigh, the magnificent star of Elia Kazan’s 1951 movie, whispering Blanche’s lines along with the actress onstage. But with this “Streetcar,” the ghosts of Leigh — and, for that matter, of Marlon Brando, the original Stanley — remain in the wings. All the baggage that any “Streetcar” usually travels with has been jettisoned. Ms. Ullmann and Ms. Blanchett have performed the play as if it had never been staged before, with the result that, as a friend of mine put it, “you feel like you’re hearing words you thought you knew pronounced correctly for the first time.” The New York Times’ review of Cate Blanchett in ‘A Streetcar Named Desire’ is a thing of beauty in itself.  And yes, they did just say there that she was essentially a better Blanche than Vivien Leigh.  That’s high praise indeed. Read the whole review here. One of my best friends played Blanche last year and it was incredible. I didn’t know anything about the play or the character apart from running a few lines with her the day before I saw it. She looked exactly like Cate does in this photo, and her performance was amazing. There’s no point to this post, other than the photo made me smile.

suicideblonde:

Blanche DuBois may well be the great part for an actress in the American theater, and I have seen her portrayed by an assortment of formidable stars including Jessica Lange, Glenn Close, Patricia ClarksonNatasha Richardson. Yet there’s a see-sawing between strength and fragility in Blanche, and too often those who play her fall irrevocably onto one side or another. and

Watching such portrayals, I always hear the voice of Vivien Leigh, the magnificent star of Elia Kazan’s 1951 movie, whispering Blanche’s lines along with the actress onstage. But with this “Streetcar,” the ghosts of Leigh — and, for that matter, of Marlon Brando, the original Stanley — remain in the wings. All the baggage that any “Streetcar” usually travels with has been jettisoned. Ms. Ullmann and Ms. Blanchett have performed the play as if it had never been staged before, with the result that, as a friend of mine put it, “you feel like you’re hearing words you thought you knew pronounced correctly for the first time.”

The New York Times’ review of Cate Blanchett in ‘A Streetcar Named Desire’ is a thing of beauty in itself.  And yes, they did just say there that she was essentially a better Blanche than Vivien Leigh.  That’s high praise indeed. Read the whole review here.

One of my best friends played Blanche last year and it was incredible. I didn’t know anything about the play or the character apart from running a few lines with her the day before I saw it. She looked exactly like Cate does in this photo, and her performance was amazing. There’s no point to this post, other than the photo made me smile.

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  1. ameliadowd reblogged this from suicideblonde
  2. lewisbostock reblogged this from bohemea
  3. mbdk reblogged this from bohemea and added:
    Saw Cate’s play in Sydney. It was this amazing.
  4. doomgloom reblogged this from suicideblonde
  5. theparingknife reblogged this from bohemea and added:
    Blanche DuBois may well be the great part for an actress in the American theater, and I have seen her portrayed by an...
  6. therivanqueen reblogged this from bohemea
  7. deframboos reblogged this from bohemea and added:
    A Streetcar Named Desire is one of the best plays I have ever read, definitely recommended to everybody. I want to see...
  8. brentbillock reblogged this from bohemea and added:
    I had the good fortune to see Streetcar at Steppenwolf Theatre in Chicago, with Gary Sinise as Stanley. That was some...
  9. gone-fishing reblogged this from bohemea
  10. katherineanneausten reblogged this from bohemea
  11. mrsexsmith reblogged this from bohemea
  12. planetnoplanet reblogged this from bohemea and added:
    I woul LOVE to see her in this…amazing I’m sure
  13. thegildedcage reblogged this from bohemea
  14. movieswiththelightson reblogged this from suicideblonde and added:
    One of my best friends played...it was incredible....didn’t...
  15. lionessyawn reblogged this from bohemea
  16. vagabunda reblogged this from bohemea
  17. bohemea reblogged this from suicideblonde
  18. mrdavidgordon reblogged this from shakespeareandshoes and added:
    I seen this. She was magnetic. Couldn’t take your eyes off her for one moment.
  19. incandenza reblogged this from suicideblonde and added:
    as Blanche Du Bois...Desire. Click to read
  20. prettymuchjustballs reblogged this from suicideblonde