Is Stanley subservient?
Stanley’s no hero. He may be the main male character, but Marlon Brando got the part after the esteemed stage and film actor John Garfield turned it down because he felt it was a subservient role. Jeff Coon gives us a strong, sympathetic and engaging Stanley in this production. There are instances in theater history where the balance between roles changed over the years, to everyone’s benefit. In the original King and I, the king was conceived as a supporting player. But A Streetcar Named Desire loses impact when the audience divides its loyalties between Blanche and Stanley. There’s perfect physical synchronicity for the friends Stanley and Mitch (superbly played by Scott Greer). Not so for the DuBois sisters. Stevens as Blanche is taller and appears to be more robust than her sister Stella (played well by Sandra Struthers), where fragility, tenderness and instability are needed instead. The challenge of Blanche’s part Physique isn’t all-important. But it’s an essential ingredient for
