Guthrie’s “Streetcar” is STELLAAA(r)

“A Streetcar Named Desire” by Tennesse Williams
Director: John Miller-Stephany
Starring: Ricardo Antonio Chavira, Stacia Rice, Gretchen Egolf
Where: The Guthrie Theater, Wurtele Thrust Stage, 818 S. 2nd St.
When: Runs through August 29
Price: $24-60

If you are going to dig your hands on hallowed theatrical ground — like that of Tennessee Williams’ trenchant opus “A Streetcar Named Desire” — you’d best be sure of two things. One, you must present a unique interpretation; two, you better not mess it up.
Fortunately, Miller-Stephany’s “Streetcar” is a stirring rendition, staying steadfast to Williams’ vision for the play. Miller-Stephany said he accomplished this by reading deep into the dust-coated Williams archives, uncovering the playwright’s most intimate writings on the play, and by respectfully dismissing its clout.
“I think you have to forget that it is a classic,” Miller-Stephany said, “and concentrate on making the story live with the specific actors and that specific creative team and for the Minnesota audience in 2010.”
The play is set in 1940s New Orleans, wherein Stanley Kowalski (Chavira) and Stella Kowalski (Rice) are surprised to see the latter’s lavishly delusional sister Blanche DuBois (Egolf) has come on the local streetcar named Desire to take a mysterious exile in their two-bedroom apartment. Tension emerges between the two iconic characters Blanche, a waning artifact of the Old South, and Stanley, a strong and cocky representative of the new working class.
To play Stanley Kowalski after he has been cemented into the American lexicon under the name Marlon Brando is to wear the number 23 jersey in the United Center . But Chavira is able to transcend and, in vintage Williams fashion, endure these odds. His interpretation of the short-tempered humdinger is less Brando as it is Robert Banner: a bothered macho man ready to explode at any time.
“[Chavira] has not seen the film and has never seen a production of the play before,” Miller-Stephany said. “I think that is a great strength ... He is coming at it from a fresh place. He is not haunted by any ghosts of any prior performances.”
Another glaring highlight of the play is Egolf’s chilling portrayal of the infinitely complex Blanche DuBois. Egolf steals every scene, whether it’s busting guts with her Southern charm or paralyzing eyes with her maniacal hallucinations.
Although the Guthrie’s upper-tier price range can easily scare off members of our collegiate, Ramen noodle demographic, Miller-Stephany said the play should beckon anyone old enough to stomach a little mature content to hear Williams’ resonating message.
“There’s a lesson in this play to be learned about tolerance and understanding,” Miller-Stephany said. “I don’t think that’s a lesson specifically for college students — I think it’s across the board. It makes a plea for us to be a little more understanding of our fellow human beings.”