[E]nglish Touring Theatre is set to whisk audiences away from the chilly Cumbrian spring to the thick humidity of a summer in the Deep South of America when they bring Tennessee Williams’ renowned masterpiece A Streetcar Named Desire to Keswick’s Theatre by the Lake. The production will play in the Main House from 3 to 7 April.
Regarded as one of the 20th century’s finest plays and considered to be Williams’ greatest, A Streetcar Named Desire features the complex and unforgettable character of Blanche DuBois – proud, seductive, troubled – one of theatre’s most enduring female roles. At the heart of the play is her fiery, sexually charged relationship with her brother-in-law Stanley, immortalised in the 1951 Oscar-winning film adaptation with Vivien Leigh and Marlon Brando.
“Every man is a king.” And Stanley Kowalski is no exception. Until one summer, when his sister-in-law Blanche comes to stay. Anxious, seductive and fiercely clever, Blanche is just about keeping it together. But her arrival threatens Stanley’s entire way of life.
As the summer heats up, and the games turn savage, a burning desire threatens to tear their world apart.
A bold new revival of Tennessee Williams’ timeless classic, this is a raging portrayal of what it means to be an outsider, in a society where we’re all desperate to belong.
2017 Sir Peter Hall Director Award winner Chelsea Walker directs Nicole Agada, Will Bliss, Dexter Flanders, Kelly Gough, Amber James, Patrick Knowles, Maria Louis and Joe Manjón. Produced by English Touring Theatre, Nuffield Southampton Theatres and Theatre Clwyd, A Streetcar Named Desire will open in Southampton, followed by a national tour.
Assistant Director Siobhan Lynn Brennan said: “We’re in our final week of rehearsals in London, before we head to Southampton. We’re currently working through the last few scenes of the play, ramping up towards its final emotional climax. It’s incredibly exciting when we discover a version of a classic scene that feels new-minted and fresh, reinforcing how vital the themes and iconic characters of Williams’ play remain in 2018.”
Conrad Lynch, Artistic Director of Theatre by the Lake said: “Everyone at Theatre by the Lake is really excited to welcome ETT, Nuffield Southampton Theatres and Theatre Clwyd with what is sure to be a brilliant production of one of the most powerful and exhilarating plays of recent times. We’re also thrilled to welcome a cast of such calibre and, as we’re the first venue on the tour, chuffed that our audiences get to see it before anyone else.”
A Streetcar Named Desire is showing in Theatre by the Lake’s Main House from 3 to 7 April, with tickets from £10 to £36. To find out more call the Box Office on 017687 74411 or visit www.theatrebythelake.com.
