Sex, alcohol and madness

Hunter S. Thompson once said “I wouldn’t recommend sex, drugs or insanity for everyone, but they’ve always worked for me.”

The same words could easily have come from the mouth of Tennessee Williams, one of the most respected modern playwrights and author of A Streetcar Named Desire, which is now playing at Portland’s Artists Repertory Theatre.

Williams had a great deal to contend with from a very early age–an abusive father and a paralyzing sickness set the stage for his life. And he was a gay man in the pre-1950s South. His sister was permanently committed to a mental hospital. He certainly didn’t have it easy.

Williams struggled with depression all his life and his experiences may serve to explain how he created some of the most controversial and powerful works of theater ever written.

Streetcar, originally performed in 1948, explores issues that society still hasn’t completely come to terms with.

It follows Blanche DuBois, a fading Southern Belle, as she seeks refuge at her sister Stella’s house in New Orleans. Stella’s husband, Stanley Kowalski, is a hotheaded Polish immigrant who works at a factory. Their relationship is a powder keg, with his violence toward her fueling Stella’s sexual attraction to him.

Blanche is more sensitive and grandiose than her sister. She stayed behind at their ancestral home when their father died and Stella moved away. Financial difficulties overwhelmed her though, and eventually she lost the estate, forcing her to move in with her sister. Stanley’s unhappiness with having lost his stake in the estate only adds to the play’s conflict.

Blanche holds a secret or two of her own, such as her real occupation (she lies that she is a schoolteacher) or the fact that her first husband was gay. She also is quite fond of the bottle.

These and other ghosts from the past haunt her until salvation arrives in the form of Mitch, a suitor who’s sensitive and slightly older.

In Artists Repertory Theater’s version of this classic, the entire play takes place on one set, used primarily as the New Orleans house of Stella and Stanley. The character of the dead husband walks around the edge of the set any time Blanche thinks or speaks of him.

The acting ensemble handles their roles well, including affecting decent Southern accents.

Mic Matarrese puts in a strong and passionate performance as Stanley, the role that started Marlon Brando’s career in the film adaptation. Andrea Frankle both looks and acts the part of Blanche, having already spent several years in New Orleans performing Tennessee Williams’ plays.

Val Landrum brings a gritty realism to the character of Stella, and perfectly embodies the abused Southern woman who will have you know she’s no victim. Stephen Henry, who has taught classes at Portland State in the past, puts in a good performance as Blanche’s knight in shining armor, Mitch. A handful of smaller parts filled mostly from Artists Rep’s ensemble also handle their roles well.

The themes of Streetcar resonate as much today as they did in the 1950s, if not more. There is still much cultural conflict brought up between supposedly “native” whites and newer immigrants. Sex, violence and power are still disturbingly connected. Those who do not fit social-sexual norms still have the highest rates of suicide. And we still avoid talking about these issues out of politeness.

Streetcar ends with a note of hope desperately needed in our world today. Sometimes good things do happen. As the play’s closing line says, “Sometimes there is God.”

Streetcar Named Desire

Artists Repertory Theater (www.artistsrep.org)

1515 S.W. Morrison St.

Until May 18

7:30 p.m. every night (except Mondays)

2 p.m. on Sunday

$20 for students, $47 for general admission.