'Streetcar' a classic

The stage rocked with raw emotion Friday night at the premiere of the IU Department of Theatre and Drama's production of "A Streetcar Named Desire." The play, directed by Bruce Burgan, ran more than three hours in length and was welcomed by a packed house. \nThe set was spectacular, evoking the grittiness of the New Orleans quarter. Wrought iron pieces composed the upstairs balcony. The back walls of the set were front lit to become transparent, which subtly created a sense of distance. In several scenes, the clothes made the character. Stanley's greasy mechanic's shirts worn open over his white undershirt showed his lowbrow manners, and Stella's flirty dresses, in particular a pink gingham frock, evoked the little girl we all knew was inside her. \nAll of the actors were outstanding, but the belle of the ball was IU grad student Carmen Meyers in her portrayal of Blanche DuBois. Her accent was dead on for a Mississippi school-teacher, and her costuming was perfect. Her outfit, a structured suit and prim hat, juxtaposed her sharply against the beer-swigging, loud New Orleans gals that she meets. Meyers also portrayed Blanche as surprisingly funny; she delivered her sharp barbs dryly in the moments when Blanche forgets her manners. \nThe actors and director did a wonderful job of gradually building the tension between Blanche and Stella and between Blanche and Stanley. Allison Batty, who played Stella, and Jonathan Molitor, who portrayed Stanley, had great on-stage chemistry, and both really captured the dynamics of this abusive relationship between people from two very different backgrounds. \nAudience reaction was great. The audience, obviously familiar with Tennessee Williams' work, seemed to truly appreciate the depth of the humor and breadth of the tragedy. \n"It was an emotional roller coaster; I thought it was very well done," freshman Del Warren said. "Each character was well defined; it was a nice portrayal of passion and how people intertwine. I thought they did a nice job of showing Blanche's deterioration throughout the play; it wasn't all of a sudden. It was neat watching how it was put all together." \nBloomington resident Jane Parry had seen the play many years ago, so Friday night's performance was a return to an old favorite. \n"I enjoyed it. It was hard to watch in spots," Parry said. "I had seen it years ago, and I knew that it wasn't going to be uplifting. And the actors are wonderful, as always." \nIU Players volunteer and senior Mona Vasavada also enjoyed the performance. \n"I really enjoyed it, it was really interesting," Vasavada said. "I enjoyed seeing how the story unfolded, and all of the actors did a really good job."\nSome of the scenes, as Parry noted, are quite difficult to watch. The ending scenes are tough, but perhaps the hardest scene is when Blanche finally loses her mind. Meyers prances around the stage in a feather boa and an old rhinestone tiara like some kind of demented beauty queen. The last scene, in which she is carted off to the asylum, is also difficult, because Batty does a great job of capturing Stella's guilt at having to institutionalize her sister. We see that the dynamic in Stella and Blanche's relationship has changed sharply, and we see Blanche as a shell of the woman she used to be. \n"Streetcar" was an overwhelming success. It's an American classic, and perhaps now it can be considered an IU classic.