STILL PLENTY TO DESIRE

A Streetcar Named Desire was one of the greatest hits for playwright Tennessee Williams. Born in 1911, he didn’t have any major successes until The Glass Menagerie premiered on Broadway in 1945. While that certainly put him on the theatrical map, it was Elia Kazan’s 1947 staging of Streetcar that truly shot him to fame. Winning the Pulitzer for drama (the Tony Award went to Mister Roberts), it also introduced a little-known actor named Marlon Brando. That production ran just over two years and led to the hit 1951 movie, also starring Brando.

What is it about this still-shocking drama that continues to speak to us? Certainly, the struggle for power among the classes, but there is also a rawness to the characters; everyone is vulnerable and every moment is a landmine someone might step into.

In Backyard Renaissance‘s production—which opened last Saturday for a woefully short three-week run through July 19—1947 merges with 2025, and the Big Easy becomes a multicultural stew—a logical conceit given that even in the ’40s, every human shade and color could be found in the polyglot world of the French Quarter. The opening centers on a party above Stella and Stanley’s small 2-bedroom apartment at the landlord’s flat, featuring a drag queen, semi-dressed individuals, joints being smoked, and costume designer Danita Lee putting Stella in a pair of Daisy Dukes (cut-off jeans named for Daisy’s attire in The Dukes of Hazzard). Director Rob Lufty successfully blends two time periods that make the show feel intriguingly somewhat timeless. Even when dialog can’t help but control the time period, like a reference to having to dial “O” to connect a call, these moments—and Curtis Mueller‘s moody lighting—only add to the other-worldliness Lufty has created.

Carrying the weight of both lost family property and a troubled past, Blanche DuBois (Jessica John) has arrived unexpectedly at the lower-class New Orleans apartment of her sister Stella (Megan Carmitchel). Blanche’s refined, delicate demeanor clashes with the gritty French Quarter environment and even more so with Stella’s brash, domineering husband, Stanley Kowalski (Francis Gercke).

Stanley quickly grows suspicious of Blanche’s stories as tensions simmer between them over one hot summer. Blanche’s condescension irritates Stanley, while Stella tries to mediate between them, torn by loyalty to both. During a poker night, Blanche meets Mitch (MJ Sieber), a friend of Stanley’s, who stands out among the locals for his gentler, more respectful nature. A tentative connection sparks between Blanche and Mitch, offering Blanche a glimmer of hope. However, Stanley’s temper foreshadows the volatility to come in this grippingly tense household.

Before an actor ever hits the stage, you know you’re in for something special with the intensely-detailed, two-story set built upon a not-so-huge stage. This is the fifth time when Yi-Chien Lee positively delighted me with her amazing scenic designs.

With tight, riveting performances all around, Gercke is more relatable as Stanley than Brando. While there’s no questioning Stanley’s frightening ability to rage, Gercke—purposely or not—also gets unexpected laughs now and then when Stanley evokes touches of Art Carney’s goofiness as Ed Norton in The Honeymooners. As Stella, Carmitchel commits fully to both her unwavering devotion to her frustrating sister and her passion for Stanley—while being more sexual than Williams likely could have ever imagined on a public stage.  Sieber is sweet and affecting as the big galoot who melts under Blanche’s charm, yet never quite loses sight of the world Mitch comes from or the company he keeps.

And then there’s Jessica John in the pivotal role of Blanche: she is unwavering in her character’s desperate grip on a personal version of reality, no matter how fast the world around her disintegrates. It’s delicious to watch her coy sexual flirtation with a paperboy—and quietly devastating to witness her unraveling in Act III, when all hell breaks loose.

And yes, I said Act III—so be prepared for an evening that is over three hours (the film, which had cuts mostly due to censorship, runs two hours). But this outing—the first professional San Diego production in 20 years—is never less than enthralling. The caliber of acting, the clarity of pacing, the muscular grace of Tennessee Williams’ language all combine to create a momentum that sweeps you forward like the play’s titular streetcar, inexorable and electric. Whether you’re revisiting this classic or encountering it for the first time, it’s a rare opportunity to witness the kind of poeticism, passion, and theatrical power that feels increasingly rare on American stages. This Streetcar doesn’t just arrive—it hits.

photos by Daren Scott

A Streetcar Named Desire
Backyard Renaissance Theatre Company
Tenth Avenue Arts Center, 930 Tenth Ave, San Diego, CA 92101
performance nights vary; visit here for show times
ends on July 12, 2025
for tickets ($15-$40), call 619.337.1525 or visit Backyard Renaissance