You won’t have to rely on the kindness of strangers to see a great new production of “A Streetcar Named Desire” because it’s coming soon to Healdsburg’s Raven Performing Arts Theater.
“It’s a classic, one of the grand American plays,” said director Carl Hamilton of the drama, which ends with Blanche Dubois’s famous line about the kindness of strangers. Woody Allen must agree; his new movie, “Blue Jasmine,” borrows heavily from Streetcar, for which Tennessee Williams won the Pulitzer Prize for Drama in 1948.
Like Allen, Hamilton has updated the play – in his case to 1960 – but there the resemblance ends. Hamilton is a minimalist, script-driven director who’s faithful to the text. “I like to get right down to the dialogue. And I’ve been lucky with an all-star cast who have the strength to bring out the words so the audience can form their own opinions.”
The play begins when Blanche, a troubled Southern belle who’s fleeing from a difficult past, arrives at her sister Stella’s house, where she finds an even more difficult present in the form of Stella’s husband, Stanley Kowalski. Earthy, trigger-tempered and violent, Stanley dislikes Blanche on sight, and she returns the lack of favor.
“It’s a play about complex lives, complex people, complex relationships,” said Hamilton. “Blanche’s dreams have floated away from her. ‘I don’t want realism, I want magic,’ she said. And that’s what the theater is about: it should be magic.”
Born and raised in Santa Rosa, Hamilton got his B.A. from Sonoma State and an MFA in Dramatic Art from U.C. Davis with an emphasis on stage directing. He and his wife Jamie are founders of the Sonoma Valley Shakespeare Festival, and he teaches drama and video arts at Cardinal Newman High School.
He’s directed 160 plays in Sonoma County, including six for the Raven, but this is his first Tennessee Williams play. “I’ve always wanted to direct Streetcar, and I’m excited to be working with my cast. It’s amazing the amount of acting talent we have in Sonoma County. I have actors who could handle any of the roles in the play, and some were willing to take a smaller role because they wanted to be part of it.”
For a change, the play isn’t set in New Orleans. “It’s not set in a particular place. We’ll have a very stylized set with music and lighting that supports the dialogue. I’m trying to keep the actors focused on the words, not their own emotions. Let the audience decide how to feel it. I think you should be able to close your eyes in a good production and still get the story.”
The cast includes Bonnie Jean Shelton as Stella, Chris Schloemp as Stanley and Rebecca Allington as Blanche, with Matthew Proschold, Shelly Proschold, Jeremy Boucher and Matt Farrell in the supporting roles.
Show dates are Sept. 6, 7, 13, 14, 20 and 21 (Fridays and Saturdays) at 8 p.m.; 8, 15, and 22 (Sundays) at 2 p.m.; and Value Night at 8 p.m. on Sept. 12, when all seats will cost $12 (available at the door only).
General Admission: $25 for adults; $20 for seniors 65+ and students with ID. You can buy tickets via the raventheater.org website or (cash or check only) at Copperfield’s in Healdsburg and Santa Rosa, Mail Center Etc. in Cloverdale, and Pages in Windsor.
