PLAY OF THE DAY! Today's Play: A STREETCAR NAMED DESIRE By Tennessee Williams
By: Chloe Rabinowitz Mar. 31, 2020
During this time when productions all over the world have been put on pause, we are coming together to celebrate plays that have left their mark on theater history.
This week we will be focusing on the plays of Pulitzer Prize winning playwright, Tennessee Williams.
Today's play, A Streetcar Named Desire!
A Streetcar Named Desire is considered to be one of the best and most successful plays of the 20th century. It has spawned numerous productions and an iconic film.
The original Broadway production opened in 1947 and starred Jessica Tandy, Marlon Brando, Kim Hunter and Karl Malden. The 1949 London production was directed by Laurence Olivier, and starred Bonar Colleano, Vivien Leigh, Renée Asherson, and Bernard Braden.
The play was revived on Broadway in 1973, 1988, 1992, 2005, and 2012. In addition to the original London production, it was staged in London in 2009 and 2014.
The famed 1951 film version of A Streetcar Named Desire starred Marlon Brando, Vivien Leigh, Karl Malden and Kim Hunter. The film won four Academy Awards.
Gillian Anderson, who was nominated for an Olivier for her portrayal of Blanche DuBois in the 2014 Young Vic production of Streetcar, reprised her role in a short-film prequel to A Streetcar Named Desire, titled The Departure.
Awards and nominations for the play include:
1948 Tony Award for Best Actress in a Play - Jessica Tandy
1948 Pulitzer Prize for Drama
2003 Olivier Award for Best Supporting Actress in a Play - Essie Davis
2010 Olivier Award for Best Actress in a Play - Rachel Weisz
2010 Olivier Award for Best Supporting Actress in a Play - Ruth Wilson
Nominations
1988 Tony Award for Best Revival of a Play
1988 Tony Award for Best Actress in a Play - Frances McDormand
1988 Tony Award for Best Actress in a Play - Blythe Danner
1992 Tony Award for Best Actor in a Play - Alec Baldwin
2005 Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Play - Amy Ryan
2005 Tony Award for Best Costume Design of a Play
2005 Tony Award for Best Lighting Design of a Play
2010 Olivier Award for Best Revival of a Play
2015 Olivier Award for Best Revival of a Play
2015 Olivier Award for Best Actress in a Play - Gillian Anderson
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