Trudge

Going on through fall. It's less of a sail than a climb.

Anyway. Saw my very first live production of Streetcar last week at Binghamton. It was absolutely brutally intense. Why oh why did the movie cut Blanche's beautiful death monologue at the end of the show. It really is great. I think the one thing I'll keep from this production is the awful memory of Stella screaming for Blanche at the end of the show. That's also not in the movie, but it was epic. I applaud the director for choosing not to overdo the curtain call. Lights up, all bow together, lights down. No standing o.

Okay. Now the bad. Stanley Kowalski is a bad, bad man. He is scary. The kid portraying him was never scary. Stanley and Stella have an intense sadomasochistic relationship, and too many times they came across as children teasing one another. Plate smashing does not make up for the fact that Stanley was not the least bit intimidating. This production never really made me feel that there was anything mentally wrong with Blanche. She was composed and ladylike, right up to her rape and even afterward. Still, I enjoyed it. A for effort.