'A Streetcar Named Desire' at the Almeida - Ellen Jones, BHASVIC

The Almeida offers a raw, emotional insight into mental illness, domestic violence, and a societal tragedy with Rebecca Frecknall's production of Tennessee Williams’ ‘A Streetcar Named Desire.’ In the intimate Almeida Theatre, lighting is more important than ever – and that’s certainly true in this impressive production. As the antebellum Blanche DuBois shies from the harsh illuminations of 1940s New Orleans, we watch in horror as this woman unravels, and begin to understand why. Patsy Ferran is an actor whose words seem to hang on smoke in the air, offering us her deepest understanding of our complex, contradictory protagonist. We are left wondering whether it is the woman, or the society, which is so tragically broken.