History Theatre / AStreetcarNamedDesire

TennesseeWilliams' ''A Streetcar Named Desire'' is a 1947 play about a hundred different things. Reality vs. the imaginary, the old America vs. the new, insanity, abuse, violence, appearances and purity. Most people are familiar with the 1951 movie staring Vivien Leigh, Creator/MarlonBrando, and Kim Hunter, which was of course Oscar-tacular.[[note]]Although the best remembered performance - Marlon Brando as Stanley Kowalski - was passed over on Oscar night in favour of Humphrey Bogart in ''TheAfricanQueen''.[[/note]] But there have been many adaptations including a made for TV movie starring Alec Baldwin and Jessica Lange, an opera and even a ballet. Stuffed full of imagery and complex characters, it may be considered Williams' best known work, and the character of Blanche has been considered the most difficult female role in all of English literature.

-->--'''GoreVidal'''

TennesseeWilliams' ''A Streetcar Named Desire'' is a 1947 play about a hundred different things. Reality vs. the imaginary, the old America vs. the new, insanity, abuse, violence, appearances and purity. Most people are familiar with the 1951 movie staring Vivien Leigh, MarlonBrando, and Kim Hunter, which was of course Oscar-tacular.[[note]]Although the best remembered performance - Marlon Brando as Stanley Kowalski - was passed over on Oscar night in favour of Humphrey Bogart in ''TheAfricanQueen''.[[/note]] But there have been many adaptations including a made for TV movie starring Alec Baldwin and Jessica Lange, an opera and even a ballet. Stuffed full of imagery and complex characters, it may be considered Williams' best known work, and the character of Blanche has been considered the most difficult female role in all of English literature.

* GrievousBottleyHarm: [[spoiler: During the rape scene, Blanche smashes a whiskey bottle so she can "twist the broken end in [Stanley's] face."]]

-->'''GoreVidal'''

Tennessee Williams' ''A Streetcar Named Desire'' is a 1947 play about a hundred different things. Reality vs. the imaginary, the old America vs. the new, insanity, abuse, violence, appearances and purity. Most people are familiar with the 1951 movie staring Vivien Leigh, MarlonBrando, and Kim Hunter, which was of course Oscar-tacular.[[hottip:*: Although the best remembered performance - Marlon Brando as Stanley Kowalski - was passed over on Oscar night in favour of Humphrey Bogart in ''TheAfricanQueen''.]] But there have been many adaptations including a made for TV movie starring Alec Baldwin and Jessica Lange, an opera and even a ballet. Stuffed full of imagery and complex characters, it may be considered Williams' best known work, and the character of Blanche has been considered the most difficult female role in all of English literature.

STELLAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!!!!!

* MrFanservice: Marlon Brando.
** How much so? Brando caused tee shirt sales to spike astronomically.

* JerkAss: Stanley fits the bill.
** He's definitely worse than a Jerkass by the end of the play.
*** JerkWithAHeartOfJerk, more likely. A bit of FridgeHorror always sets in when you think about how Stella's life would continue with him. Good luck to the child of that marriage.
* JerkAssWoobie: YMMV, Blanche. She's very harsh towards Stanley (who she sees as a 'Polack' and an 'ape'), and she isn't particularly nice in general, but once you find out about her past, it's very hard not to feel sorry for her...

* LeitMotif: Blanche is represented by a blue piano coming from the bar around the corner, while Stanley is usually associated with a more boisterous jazz. Memories of Allan are accompanied by the Varsouviana polka.

* [[MommasBoy Momma's Boy]]: Mitch

* MyGodWhatHaveIDone: More so in the film, it is shown After Stanley sobers up and realizes he hit the mother of his expecting child that he is saddened with guilt.
* [[spoiler:RapeDiscretionShot: The last scene we see of Blanche before her complete nervous breakdown and regression is Stanley hitting her and dragging her into the bedroom.]]

* TheRedStapler: T-shirts sales in general, and tight t-shirts especially spiked as a result of MarlonBrando wearing several in the film and play. This is partly what caused tight t-shirts to actually be mass produced; until then, only regular t-shirts could be bought, and for the film regular t-shirts were washed several times and sewn in at the back to be tighter.
* TheReveal: Oh, so many. Interestingly, few - if any - of them serve as a climax: rather, they are used to both forward the plot and build up to the actual climax.

Tennessee Williams' AStreetcarNamedDesire is a 1947 play about a hundred different things. Reality vs. the imaginary, the old America vs. the new, insanity, abuse, violence, appearances and purity. Most people are familiar with the 1951 movie staring Vivien Leigh, MarlonBrando, and Kim Hunter, which was of course Oscar-tacular.[[hottip:*: Although the best remembered performance - Marlon Brando as Stanley Kowalski - was passed over on Oscar night in favour of Humphrey Bogart in ''TheAfricanQueen''.]] But there have been many adaptations including a made for TV movie starring Alec Baldwin and Jessica Lange, an opera and even a ballet. Stuffed full of imagery and complex characters, it may be considered Williams' best known work, and the character of Blanche has been considered the most difficult female role in all of English literature.

* MeaningfulName: Blanche [=DuBois=] means "white woods" in French - a dreamlike and old-world scene. Belle Reve is French, too - for "beautiful dream." Also, Blanche's closeted husband was named Allen Grey. [[ThePictureOfDorianGray Remind you of anyone?]]

** He's definitely worse than a Jerkass by the end of the play, but at the same time he's not ''quite'' a CompleteMonster either...

* AllGirlsWantBadBoys: Stella, [[spoiler: to the point where she denies Stanley's rape of Blanche ever happening.]]
* AuthorAppeal: An entire paragraph devoted to Stanley's handsome looks, great physique and animalistic drive? Tick. Young gay man struggling with his sexual identity in a repressive society that maligned any sign of cultural or sexual diversity to the point where it was taboo? Tick. [[spoiler: Young woman with mental illness issues who finally had to go to a mental institution? Tick.]] So we've got wish fulfillment, personal projection, [[spoiler: and taking inspiration direct from your own sister's mental problems.]] Yep, it's a Tennessee Williams play alright.

Throughout the play we start getting glimpses that Blanche ''is'' hiding something.

* AllGirlsWantBadBoys: Stella, [[spoiler: to the point where she denies Stan's rape ever happening.]]

* EatingTheEyeCandy: Blanche when she first meets Stanley. She even stops talking mid-sentance when she sees him taking off his T-shirt, although you can tell she really, ''really'', does not want to be looking at him.
* ElvesVersusDwarves: The delicate, cultured, and slightly arrogant residents of Belle Reve versus the gritty, rude, and down-to-earth residents of New Orleans.

* ColourCodedForYourConvenience: The first time you see Blanche she's all in white. Hell, even her name means "white."

----

* InsistenTerminology: Stanley, in general, doesn't mind it when Blanche insults him because of his ethnicity; he ''does'' get irritated when she calls him a Polack, and he insists that she should call him a Pole instead.

->''"In 1947, when MarlonBrando appeared on stage in a torn, sweaty T-shirt, there was an earthquake; and the male as sex object is still at our culture's center stage. It must be hard for'' [today's generation] ''to realize that there was ever a time when a man was nothing but [[StandardFiftiesFather a suit of clothes, a shirt and tie, shined leather shoes, and a gray, felt hat]]. If he was thought attractive, it was because he had a nice smile and a twinkle in his eye."''

* {{Ephebophile}}: [[spoiler: Blanche. This is why she was fired.]]
* EstrogenBrigadeBait: Marlon Brando

Tennessee Williams' AStreetcarNamedDesire is a 1947 play about a hundred different things. Reality vs. the imaginary, the old America vs. the new, insanity, abuse, violence, appearances and purity. Most people are familiar with the 1951 movie staring Vivien Leigh, MarlonBrando, and Kim Hunter, which was of course Oscar-tacular. But there have been many adaptations including a made for TV movie starring Alec Baldwin and Jessica Lange, an opera and even a ballet. Stuffed full of imagery and complex characters, it may be considered Williams' best known work, and the character of Blanche has been considered the most difficult female role in all of English literature.

* FridgeHorror: Considering that this play was written in the 1940s, [[spoiler: it's a very real possibility that Blanche would have been lobotomized after the story's end...]]
** [[spoiler: And considering how Tennessee's sister suffered the fate of being taken to a mental institution and was lobotomized, this could be true.]]
* FreudWasRight: Oh, so much.

* MagnumOpus: This is most commonly cited as Tennessee Williams' greatest play.

* SpotlightStealingSquad: Not for nothing does everybody remember Brando's Stanely -- not Blanche, the alleged star. The film version didn't help; Vivian Leigh is all nervous tics, while Brando dominates every scene.

->''"In 1947, when MarlonBrando appeared on stage in a torn, sweaty T-shirt, there was an earthquake; and the male as sex object is still at our culture's center stage. It must be hard for [today's generation] to realize that there was ever a time when a man was nothing but [[StandardFiftiesFather a suit of clothes, a shirt and tie, shined leather shoes, and a gray, felt hat]]. If he was thought attractive, it was because he had a nice smile and a twinkle in his eye."''