Blanche DuBois has never been more out of her element. While most productions of "A Streetcar Named Desire" are usually set in the year of its publication, 1947, this production, directed by Michael Michetti, takes the story and places it in modern New Orleans. While the rest of the inhabitants of this drama feel right at home in this contemporary setting, Blanche has not quite caught up with the times. Her wardrobe (designed by Dominique Fawn Hill), which is typical of a Southern belle in the 1940s, serves as an exterior representation of what's going on in Blanche's mind: she's stuck living in the past.
In "A Streetcar Named Desire," after losing the family estate, Belle Reeve, Blanche (Jaimi Paige) finds herself broke and alone, staying in the home of her sister Stella (Maya Lynne Robinson) and her brother-in-law Stanley (Desean Kevin Terry). Very much shaped by her upper-class upbringing and highbrow ideals, Blanche does not get along with the "common" Stanley. When her wishful reminiscences of the lavish life she used to have get on Stanley's last nerve, he does some digging into that past and finds some secrets and memories among the magic that threaten to consume Blanche.
Paige is phenomenal as Blanche. Her frazzled nerves paired with her desire for magic over reality excellently captures Blanche's state of being a woman on the edge of a nervous breakdown. Furthermore, Paige, thankfully, does not just rely on playing nervous. Later in the first act, watching Paige becomes a masterclass in seduction. In one of Blanche's rare moments of lucidity, the audience gets to see Blanche tease, taunt, and flirt with Stanley, which wonderfully shows off Paige's versatility. However, although the chemistry between Stanley and Stella is very strong, the chemistry between Stanley and Blanche is lacking. I would have liked to have seen more of the sexual tension that the script implies is present between the two adversaries. The three leads are supported by a wonderful ensemble, which includes USC alum Christopher Ramirez, who plays Pablo/Young Collector.
The industrial-chic, two-tiered set (Efren Delgadillo Jr.) provides a beautiful framework for the world, and creates the contemporary setting. A live DJ (Sam Sewell) sits on the corner of the stage, providing transitions with thematically appropriate music, and lighting (Rose Malone) is kept purposefully dim to shroud Blanche in her desired air of mystery.
Head on over to the Boston Court Performing Arts Center to take a ride on "A Streetcar Named Desire," playing until March 25th.
"A Streetcar Named Desire" will be playing through Sunday, March 25, 2018 Tickets and Information: Boston Court Performing Arts Center, 70 N Mentor Ave. Pasadena, CA 91106, Website: www.BostonCourt.com