A Reimagined "Streetcar"

For better or worse, Marlon Brando’s famous line—“Hey Stella!”—remains an iconic staple of the 1951 film adaptation of Tennessee Williams’ play, “A Streetcar Named Desire.” But the Harvard-Radcliffe Dramatic Club aims to redefine preconceptions of the play, presenting a unique take on “Streetcar” at the Adams Pool Theatre beginning Thursday night.

With an original musical score and an honest return to Williams’s depiction of the characters instead of what the iconic actors portrayed in the movie, this stage production is different from the film version most audiences are familiar with, director Sayantan Deb ’14 says.

The play tells the story of Blanche (Ema H. Horvath ’16) who travels to New Orleans to stay with her sister Stella (Olivia L. Ball ’14). Blanche’s arrival upsets the dynamic between Stella and her husband Stanley (Peter K. Bestoso ’14), while Stanley’s friend Mitch (Jeremy Y. Venook ’15, a Crimson Arts columnist) complicates matters with his romantic interest in Blanche.

Live music is a distinctive addition to this production of “Streetcar,” which features a score performed by composer and music director Hugh P. Zabriskie ’16. During winter recess, Zabriskie traveled to New Orleans to understand the music and culture of the play’s setting.

“I realized I needed to strike a happy medium between that New Orleans sound and at the same time have music that illuminates the mood of the scene,” Zabriskie says.

Cast members also find that returning to Williams’s original text instead of basing their characters off of the actors in the movie version provides them with greater agency to explore themes and emotions in the play   .

“I feel like we are all something entirely different…I certainly feel like I am trying to make Mitch my own,” Venook says.

Cognizant of Brando’s distinct performance as Stanley, Bestoso also says he tries to separate the character from the actor in his portrayal.

Deb ultimately hopes that audiences will find a level of emotional depth that transcends previous imaginings of “Streetcar.”

“If the audience can come in here...and rediscover ‘Streetcar’ from the words, that has always been my goal,” Deb says.