The theater was packed.  Every seat in the BAM Harvey Theater filled with people brimming with anticipation, but the reason these people were there was not to see Liv Ullmann’s adaptation of A Streetcar Named Desire by Tennessee Williams.  They were here to see Cate Blanchette and her portrayal of Blanche DuBois.  Blanchette’s representation of Blanche does not quite match with Tennessee William’s depiction of her.  Blanchette is too strong and too calculated with her nervousness to be the “moth” that Williams describes her as.  It seems as if something was missing from the show and the only thing that I can think to be missing is chemistry.

Blanche DuBois shows up at her sister’s doorstep at the beginning of the summer after she’s lost her family’s estate.  Not only has she lost Belle Reve, but she is losing her nerves as well.  Blanche seems to be in the throes of a nervous breakdown, and as she imposes herself on Stanley and Stella Kowalski’s generosity Blanche’s world falls down around her.  Stanley’s apparent hatred for Blanche and Blanche’s quest for a husband is enough to drive her to drink.  Alcohol seems to be the only way Blanche can cope with New Orleans living and the situation she finds herself in.  Blanche is a destitute woman over the age of thirty; she sees her looks fading fast and her grasp on reality going with it.  As the show progresses the line dividing the real from the magic becomes increasingly blurred.  From the beginning Blanche flirts with any and every man, from her sister’s husband to the young man that shows up at her door.

The chemistry between actors in a play is as important to the piece as the props or the lighting.  It is essential for the audience to be able to connect with the play by watching the actors connect with each other.  In this production of A Streetcar Named Desire I was not able to see the chemistry, what was apparent was that the actors knew their cues and knew their lines and knew what emotions they supposed to convey.  The sexual chemistry between Stanley and Blanche that was written into lines like: “Oh, in my youth I excited some admiration. But look at me now! Would you think it possible that I was once considered to be—attractive?” “Your looks are okay.” “I was fishing for a compliment, Stanley.” (38) are never fully realized on stage.  So when Stanley rapes Blanche after saying, “We’ve had this date with each other from the beginning!” (162) it’s hard to see where all of his sexual aggression is coming from because the actors did not establish it earlier.

Cate Blanchette drew the crowds with her name, but her acting left me wanting more.  I was thrilled about seeing an actress that I recognized on stage, and the show was not bad, but the chemistry that would have made the piece was just not there.