Review: A Streetcar Named Desire, Almeida Theatre, Dec 2022 starring Paul Mescal and Patsy Ferran

60-second review of A Streetcar Named Desire, Almeida Theatre starring Paul Mescal and Patsy Ferran.
This was a preview performance.

[@alisonlynch3710]

I saw this on 23/12 and Frecknall was standing in for someone too (definitely a director rather than actor). I thought Ferran was good but too young, and I can’t believe there wasn’t an equally good and able but older actress available? Mescal is good and yes, Stanley as a character is problematic but Mescal manages to show glimpses of why Vasan’s character would be attracted to him. I liked Vasan’s performance and also the actor who played Blanche’s beau. I was sitting in the front row and so I couldn’t gauge the size of the stage but it seemed small - to show the claustrophobia? It’s definitely too long at 3 plus something hours… producers of films and stage productions need to do their job and stop unnecessary Indulgence and think of the audience (I think this of Emma Rice’s recent Wuthering Heights). They seem to have a problem when it comes to feted directors and writers… Definitely worth watching but it’s not a memorable production yet (hopefully magic and polishing up will happen before opening night)