The inciting incident that triggers the action of the play could be seen as Blanche being fired from her job, or as her husbands suicide. Blanche was played by Bette Bourne as "man in a dress", Stanley was played by Peggy Shaw as a "butch lesbian", Mitch was played by Paul Shaw as a "fairy disguised as a man", and Stella was played by Lois Weaver as a "woman disguised as a woman".[37]. The story follows the life of fading beauty Blanche DuBois as she, broke and destitute, goes to live with her sister Stella and her brutish but extremely virile husband in New Orleans. Subscribe now. Blanche's flirtatious Southern-belle presence causes problems for Stella and Stanley, who already have a volatile relationship, leading to even greater conflict in the Kowalski household. A Streetcar Named Desire is a play by Tennessee Williams about a Southern woman named Blanche DuBois who moves in with her sister, Stella, in New Orleans. Stanley and Stella Kowalski live in the downstairs flat of a faded corner building. Lesson Summary. Stanley Kowalski's buddies come over to the house to play cards and one of them, Mitch, finds Blanche attractive until Stanley tells him about what kind of a woman Blanche really is. Blanche DuBois, a high school English teacher with an aristocratic background from Auriol, Mississippi, decides to move to live with her sister and brother-in-law, Stella and Stanley Kowalski, in New Orleans after creditors take over the family property, Belle Reve. Although Blanche has told Stella about Stanley raping her (which he denies) Stella cannot bring herself to believe her sister's story. The other men douse Stanley in the shower, which sobers him up, and he is remorseful. Your group members can use the joining link below to redeem their group membership. When Stanley recovers, he cries out from the courtyard below for Stella to come back by repeatedly calling her name until she comes down and allows herself to be carried off to bed. But if you watch at the moment when he swings himself up to sit on the table - before he opens the bottle - you can see that the front of his trousers are already wet. Set in the French Quarter of New Orleans during the restless years following World War Two, A STREETCAR NAMED DESIRE is the story of Blanche DuBois, a fragile and neurotic woman on a desperate prowl for someplace in the world to call her own. They're like having in-class notes for every discussion!, This is absolutely THE best teacher resource I have ever purchased. Blanche sometimes exaggerates the formality of her language for effect: You may release me now (Scene Six, p. 63). Summary and Analysis Scene 1. In 1997, Le Petit Theatre du Vieux Carr in New Orleans mounted a 50th Anniversary production, with music by the Marsalis family, starring Michael Arata and Shelly Poncy. After being exiled from her hometown of Laurel, Mississippi, for seducing a seventeen-year-old boy at the school where she taught English, Blanche explains her unexpected appearance on Stanley and Stella's (Blanche's sister) doorstep as nervous exhaustion. Blanche and Stella escape upstairs to Eunices apartment. She admits that Stanleys stories are true that after her husbands suicide, she had sought solace in the comfort of strangers. We're sorry, SparkNotes Plus isn't available in your country. Blanche hangs a paper lantern over a bare bulb. Free shipping for many products! Stanley has never met his sister-in-law Blanche, the female lead of the play ,Vivien Leigh in the movie remake. This production, directed by Liv Ullmann, starred Cate Blanchett as Blanche, Joel Edgerton as Stanley, Robin McLeavy as Stella and Tim Richards as Mitch.[14]. Our, "Sooo much more helpful thanSparkNotes. Because Streetcar contains exaggerated emotions, explosive events, and theatrical effects, some critics classify it as a melodramamore specifically, a sub-genre called Southern Gothic. This production proved so successful that it was filmed for television. Blanche Duboisarrives at the French Quarter of New Orleans to stay with her sister, Stella Kowalski. Blanche collapses on the floor and Stanley is last seen taking her unconscious into his bed. Eventually, Blanche turns on the radio, and Stanley erupts: he storms into the bedroom and tosses the radio out of the window. The Desire streetcar line operated in New Orleans from 1920 to 1948, going through the French Quarter to its final stop on Desire Street. Would not have made it through AP Literature without the printable PDFs. Williams' most popular work, A Streetcar Named Desire is one of the most critically acclaimed plays of the twentieth century. Drop the bottle top! This theatrical piece creates a "Brechtian 'epic drama'" that relies on the reflective rather than emotional involvement of the audiencea "commentary on the sexual roles and games in Williams's text". The tensions of wartime emergency cohabitation of family members somehow forced to move in with each other in tight, cramped quarters because of the fortunes of war are noted when it is obvious that Blanche and Stanley immediately get on each others' nerves, especially when Blanche, who passes herself off as the only Aristocrat in her new neighborhood, is the only one in her new neighborhood who actually resorts to tough bar language and ethnic slurs in passing conversation. Blanche DuBois arrives to visit her sister, Mrs. Stella Kowalski, who lives in the French Quarter of New Orleans. The play has received widespread critical acclaim[25] and its West End transfer became the fastest-selling production to date in any Ambassador Theatre Group venue. Mitch does not hide the fact that he is looking in general to get married because of a personal issue, he wanting Blanche ultimately to be his wife. The scene in which Blanche and Stanley first meet was edited a bit to take out some of the sexual tension that both had towards each other when the film was first released in 1951. She finds Stanley loud and rough, eventually referring to him as "common". Youve successfully purchased a group discount. [14] In 1993, this footage was restored in the "Original Director's Version" of the film. I sayHa!Ha! He bursts out of the bathroom in his brilliant silk pajamas, and advances on Blanche. Not only does the show take place in New Orleans but just like Blanche, Aurora is bipolar. A Streetcar Named Desire is a play written by Tennessee Williams and first performed on Broadway on December 3, 1947. The next morning, Blanche rushes to Stella and describes Stanley as subhuman, though Stella assures Blanche that she and Stanley are fine. New 17 A Streetcar Named Desire by Tennessee Williams Course Hero 'A STREETCAR NAMED DESIRE': HISTORICAL, LITERARY & BIOGRAPHICAL CONTEXT EXPLAINED BY BARBARA NJAU First Rate Tutors 30K. Largely due to Brandos Stanley and Vivian Leighs iconic Blanche, Kazans film has become a cultural touchstone, particularly Brandos famous bellowing of STELL-LAHHHHH!, Oh, Streetcar! Here's where you'll find analysis of the literary devices in A Streetcar Named Desire, from the major themes to motifs, symbols, and more. Find the quotes you need to support your essay, or refresh your memory of A Streetcar Named Desire. An argument ensues between Stella and Stanley but is cut short as Stella goes into unexpected labor and is taken by her husband to the hospital. Nguyen 1 David Nguyen William Brown AP Literature 25 January 2023 A Streetcar Named Desire Reading Notes A Streetcar Named Desire Published by: Tennessee Williams First performed: 3 December 1947 Genre: Tragedy Literary period: Contemporary Setting The play is set in New Orleans, specifically Elysian fields-which in French is Champ-Elysees. The first all-black production of Streetcar was likely performed by the Summer Theatre Company at Lincoln University in Jefferson City, Missouri, in August 1953 and directed by one of Williams's former classmates at Iowa, Thomas D. Pawley, as noted in the Streetcar edition of the "Plays in Production" series published by Cambridge University Press. They were joined by Vivien Leigh from the London production in the part of Blanche. In 1951, Warner Bros. released a film adaptation of the play, directed by Elia Kazan. It shares a very similar plot and characters, although it has been suitably updated for modern film audiences. Blanche reveals that the estate was lost due to a foreclosed mortgage, showing Stanley the bank papers to prove it. [4] Brooks Atkinson, reviewing the opening in The New York Times, described Tandy's "superb performance" as "almost incredibly true", concluding that Williams "has spun a poignant and luminous story."[5]. A Doctor and Matron from the asylum arrive, and Blanche sweeps through the poker players to the door. It opened on 8 September and closed on 15 October. . What was the official certification given to A Streetcar Named Desire (1951) in Spain? Free trial is available to new customers only. $18.74/subscription + tax, Save 25% Stanley uses imagery destructively, as in Take a look at yourself in that worn-out Mardi Gras outfit, rented for fifty cents from some rag-picker! (Scene Ten, p. 94). (one code per order). Privacy Policy. A Streetcar Named Desire American Drama A Raisin in the Sun Aeschylus Amiri Baraka Antigone Arcadia Tom Stoppard August Wilson Cat on a Hot Tin Roof David Henry Hwang Dutchman Edward Albee Eugene O'Neill Euripides European Drama Fences August Wilson Goethe Faust Hedda Gabler Henrik Ibsen Jean Paul Sartre Johann Wolfgang von Goethe Lillian Hellman Nevertheless, he demands intimacy with her, suggesting that it's his right since he has waited for so long for nothing. Want 100 or more? Things do not go well for Blanche when Stella goes to the hospital to give birth to her child just after a teenage boy accuses her of making improper advances when he came to her door to collect money for Stanley's periodical subscription and Mitch dumps her. It is summertime, and the heat is oppressive. Stanley and Stella nearly begin a huge fight, but Stella goes into labor. for a customized plan. Blanche has apparently told Stella about the rape, but Stella refuses to believe her. When Blanche and Mitch return from their date, she is exhausted with the utter exhaustion which only a neurasthenic personality can know and still nervous from Stanleys hints. JavaScript seems to be disabled in your browser. By signing up you agree to our terms and privacy policy. In some ways the play is a melodrama, because of its exaggerated passions and sensational plot and action. TV Shows. Deconstructing (A Streetcar Named) Desire: Gender Recitation in Belle Reprieve. PDF downloads of all 1699 LitCharts literature guides, and of every new one we publish. The Desire Line ran from 1920 to 1948, at the height of streetcar use in New Orleans. for a group? Many of the major themes of A Streetcar Named Desire are embodied in the history and culture of New Orleans. When Stanley comes back from taking Stella to the hospital, he is looking for a bottle opener. Hollywood icons Marlon Brando and Vivien Leigh are given close, tight photography in their lengthy scenes of escalating conflict, played with such deep insight and such technical brilliance that the audience is given pause, from moment to moment. Genre, structure and language A Streetcar Named Desire: A Level 2 Structure The free trial period is the first 7 days of your subscription. A Streetcar Named Desire is a 1951 American Southern Gothic drama film adapted from Tennessee Williams 's Pulitzer Prize -winning play of the same name. Tennessee Williams and A Streetcar Named Desire Background. Mitch, also drunk, arrives and confronts Blanche. Mitch, himself alone in the world, reveres Blanche as a beautiful and refined woman. Blanche and Stella take refuge with upstairs neighbor, Eunice Hubbell. As we hear the faint strains of the polka, Blanche rushes out of the room. Music included Visions fugitives by Prokofiev and Alfred Schnittke's First Symphony. The lively setting of the French Quarter, with its streetcars, bars, entertainment, and . Composer Alex North received an Academy Award nomination for this, his first film score. Weve had this date with each other from the beginning! She sinks down, and he carries her limp body to the bed; the swelling music indicates that he rapes her (offstage). What makes A Streetcar Named Desire rewarding to watch today, especially on a big screen, is the same thing that made it so cherishable in the first place - Williams' heartbreaking lyricism, the titanic performances by Vivien Leigh's Blanche and Marlon Brando's Stanley, and Williams' most perfect realization of his ongoing central theme - the extermination of sensitivity and refinement by the . Carrie Houk, the Festival's Executive Artistic Director, and Tim Ocel, the director of the play, chose to cast the play with actors whose ages were close to Tennessee Williams' original intentions. Scene 1 Quotes They told me to take a street-car named Desire, and transfer to one called Cemeteries, and ride six blocks and get off atElysian Fields! Afterwards, he informs Blanche that Stella is going to have a baby. Coupled with a pair of superb supporting performances that amplify and escalate the whole to a unique plateau, you'll feel as though you've been run down by an out of control steam train, flattened by a steamroller to be reformed in a furnace fuelled by fear, frustration and desire. The Matron catches Blanche and drags her out. The Stanislavski system asks actors to use their memories to help give the characters real emotions. Youve successfully purchased a group discount. While Blanche flutters in semi-darkness, soaks in the bath, and surrounds herself in silky clothes and costume jewels, Stanley rips off his sweaty shirts under the bare kitchen light bulb. The tragic heroine of Williams's play is, of course, Blanche DuBois. The plot thickens with the arrival of . Blanche and Mitch flirt. Ned Flanders and Marge Simpson took the leading roles as Stanley and Blanche, respectively. Blanches imagery often idealises: I hope that his eyes are going to be like candles, like two blue candles lighted in a white cake! (Scene Eight, p. 79). When Blanche attracts the attention of lonely Mitch who sees the remnants of her Aristocratic upbringing, Stanley investigates, through a friend travelling in Mississippi, why his emotionally disturbed, alcoholic, child molesting sister-in-law was fired from her job and kicked out of her boarding house. The play got a publication in 1947 and has won several prizes since it was published. Stanley tells Stella all about Blanches sordid history in Laurel, as Blanche sings Paper Moon from the bathroom (Its a Barnum and Bailey world / Just as phony as it can be / But it wouldnt be make-believe / If you believed in me!). Stanley gives Blanche a birthday "present", a one-way ticket back to Laurel by Greyhound Bus. If you don't see it, please check your spam folder. A Streetcar Named Desire, by Tennessee Williams, is a play divided in 11 scenes. Welcome to the LitCharts study guide on Tennessee Williams's A Streetcar Named Desire. on 2-49 accounts, Save 30% For the best experience on our site, be sure to turn on Javascript in your browser. What will happen when Stella goes to the hospital to have her baby and just Blanche and her brother-in-law are in the house? [17] On September 16, 2014, the performance was relayed live to over one thousand cinemas in the UK as part of the National Theatre Live project. But you knew that.Lastly, because this is a play (a drama), its all expressed through dialogue and actionand okay, fine, through Williamss indulgent stage directions. Find related themes, quotes, symbols, characters, and more. He finds it on the mantelpiece, shakes up a bottle of beer, and opens it. Later, Stanley repeats gossip to Stella from a seedy salesman with contacts in Laurel, that Blanche was fired from her teaching job for involvement with an under-aged student and that she lived at a hotel known for prostitution. Later that evening, Blanche is alone in the apartment and drunk; the Varsouviana is playing in her mind. Complete your free account to access notes and highlights. For the best experience on our site, be sure to turn on Javascript in your browser. When Mitch -- a card-playing buddy of Stanley's -- arrives on the scene, Blanche begins to see a way out of her predicament. The protagonist in A Streetcar Named Desire, Blanche DuBois, suffers a tragic downfall, but Blanche's fate is not death, as would occur in an Aristotelian tragedy. Sophia Brown starred as Blanche, with Nick Narcisi as Stanley, Lana Dvorak as Stella, and Spencer Sickmann as Mitch. A 1952 ballet production with choreography by Valerie Bettis, which Mia Slavenska and Frederic Franklin's Slavenska-Franklin Ballet debuted at Her Majesty's Theatre in Montreal, featured the music of Alex North, who had composed the music for the 1951 film.[32]. Knowing nothing about Stanley or the Kowalskis' lives, Blanche is shocked to find that they live in a cramped and run down ground floor apartment - which she proceeds to beautify by putting shades over the open light bulbs to soften the lighting - and that Stanley is not the gentleman that she is used to in men. At age twenty-four, Williams suffered a nervous breakdown, left his job, and returned to college, studying at Washington University in St. Louis but finally graduating from the University of Iowa in 1938. In 2006, a production was staged by John Alleyne, then artistic director of Ballet BC. Explore our selection of frequently asked questions about A Streetcar Named Desire. In April 2012, Blair Underwood, Nicole Ari Parker, Daphne Rubin-Vega and Wood Harris starred in a multiracial adaptation at the Broadhurst Theatre. Stanleys friend Mitch catches Blanches eye, and as she asks Stella about him, she maneuvers herself skillfully in the light to be caught half-dressed in silhouette. Active Themes. The original text plus a side-by-side modern translation of. 2023 Shmoop University Inc | All Rights Reserved | Privacy | Legal. In 1998, PBS aired a taped version of the opera adaptation that featured the original San Francisco Opera cast. "My students can't get enough of your charts and their results have gone through the roof." Directed by Benedict Andrews and starring Gillian Anderson, Ben Foster, Vanessa Kirby and Corey Johnson; this production garnered critical acclaim and is the fastest selling show ever produced by the Young Vic. In 1995, an opera was adapted and composed by Andr Previn with a libretto by Philip Littell. Stanley presents Blanche with the bus ticket. The sexual chemistry shared by the Kolwaskis is the foundation of their marriage. Some time in the near future, during a poker game at the Kowalski apartment, Stella and Eunice are seen packing Blanche's meager belongings while Blanche takes a bath in a catatonic state, having suffered a mental breakdown. Later in the run, Uta Hagen succeeded Tandy, Carmelita Pope succeeded Hunter, and Anthony Quinn succeeded Brando. When Stanley comes in, Stella hugs and kisses him, letting Blanche know that her low opinion of Stanley does not matter. [1] The play dramatizes the experiences of Blanche DuBois, a former Southern belle who, after encountering a series of personal losses, leaves her once-prosperous situation to move into a shabby apartment in New Orleans rented by her younger sister and brother-in-law. Later, Stanley lets drop a few hints that he knows some repugnant details about Blanches past, and Blanche is nervous, but the tension does not crack just yet. Because his father was a traveling salesman and was often away from home, he lived the first ten years of his life in his maternal grandparents' home. Get ready to ace your A Streetcar Named Desire paper with our suggested essay topics, helpful essays about historical and literary context, and more. While a neighbor goes to find Stella, Blanche looks around the apartment for a drink. From the first scene, Blanche is nervous and jittery. Blanche melodramatically tells Mitch about her tragic love life: when she was sixteen, she married an effeminate young man who turned out to be homosexual. Stanley shatters her stories, saying, You come in here and sprinkle the place with powder and spray perfume and cover the light bulb with a paper lantern, and lo and behold the place has turned into Egypt and you are the Queen of the Nile! The night after Blanche's arrival, during one of Stanley's poker games, Blanche meets Mitch, one of Stanley's poker player buddies. The free trial period is the first 7 days of your subscription. "A Streetcar Named Success" is an essay by Tennessee Williams about art and the artist's role in society. [8], In 1972, American composer Frances Ziffer set A Streetcar Named Desire to music. A sudden change comes over Stella, and she tells Stanley to take her to the hospital--she has gone into labor. Blanche fervently flirts with him and kisses him on the mouth before Mitch arrives. Historical Context Essay: Post-World War II New Orleans, Literary Context Essay: Social Realism in the Play. Disturbed Blanche DuBois moves in with her sister in New Orleans and is tormented by her brutish brother-in-law while her reality crumbles around her. The title is a dual reference. Blanche laments the shabbiness of her sister's two-room flat. Sure, the "supernatural" elements of the play turn out to be only in Blanche's imagination, but thats the case in many horror movies. Sitting on your throne and swilling down my liquor! Blanche tells Stella that Belle Reve, the family plantation, has been lost, and that she has been given a leave of absence from her teaching position due to her nerves. Blanche suffers a mental. The three main characters of A Streetcar Named Desire are sexual. Renew your subscription to regain access to all of our exclusive, ad-free study tools. Test your knowledge ofA Streetcar Named Desire with quizzes about every section, major characters, themes, symbols, and more. 2023's Most Anticipated Sequels, Prequels, and Spin-offs, Mark Fleetwood . She doesn't understand how Stella, who is expecting her first child, could have picked a husband so lacking in refinement. The way the content is organized, A concise biography of Tennessee Williams plus historical and literary context for, In-depth summary and analysis of every scene of, Explanations, analysis, and visualizations of. [19] From April 23, 2016, until June 4, 2016, the production was reprised at the new St. Ann's Warehouse in Brooklyn, New York City. Blanche's efforts to impose herself between them only enrages the animal inside Stanley. on 2-49 accounts, Save 30% The play observes the unity of space in that all the action takes place in the Kowalski apartment. It was directed by John Erman and the teleplay was adapted by Oscar Saul. A Streetcar Named Desire Summary Next Scene 1 The play is set in the shabby but rakishly charming New Orleans of the 1940s. The play is a tragedy because its protagonist suffers an unfortunate fate and is fundamentally destroyed and lost at the plays end. Get Annual Plans at a discount when you buy 2 or more! The route ran down Royal, through the Quarter, to Desire Street in the Bywater district, and back up to Canal. Developed in the 1920s and typically written by native Southerners, works in the Southern Gothic genre take place in the contemporary American South, which remains permeated by the legacy of the Civil War. Yes, a big spider! Struggling with distance learning? You'll be billed after your free trial ends. March 3, 2023, SNPLUSROCKS20 Stanley comes in and is apparently irritated. Watch 'A Streetcar Named Desire' | Anniversary Mashup, Watch A Streetcar Named Desire: Strangers, Watch A Streetcar Named Desire: Interfere, Watch A Streetcar Named Desire: Axel Grease, Watch A Streetcar Named Desire: Comfortable. 20% Refine any search. TO CANCEL YOUR SUBSCRIPTION AND AVOID BEING CHARGED, YOU MUST CANCEL BEFORE THE END OF THE FREE TRIAL PERIOD. Renew your subscription to regain access to all of our exclusive, ad-free study tools. What is 'A Streetcar Named Desire' about. Previous. Blanche is polite, even when being rude: If you will excuse me, Im just about to drop (Scene One, p. 5). Bette Bourne and Paul Shaw of the British gay theater company Bloolips, and Peggy Shaw and Lois Weaver of the American lesbian theater company Split Britches, collaborated and performed a gender-bent production of Belle Reprieve, a twisted adaption of Streetcar. Summary Read one-minute Sparklet summaries, the detailed scene-by-scene Summary & Analysis, the Full Book Summary, or the Full Book Analysis of A Streetcar Named Desire . Purchasing A Streetcar Named Desire is actually realism of several different varieties. Stella admits that she is thrilled by Stanleys aggression, and that even though Blanche wants her to leave, shes not in anything that [she has] a desire to get out of. Blanche suggests that they contact Shep Huntleigh, a Dallas millionaire, to help them escape. It starred John C. Reilly as Stanley, Amy Ryan as Stella, and Natasha Richardson as Blanche. The Doctor treats her more calmly, calling her by name, and Blanche is mollified, grasping at her final shreds of dignity: Whoever you areI have always depended on the kindness of strangers. The Doctor leads her offstage. Instant downloads of all 1699 LitChart PDFs to start your free trial of SparkNotes Plus. Born in Columbus, MS, Williams moved to St. Louis, MO as a child. Williams believed that casting Brando, who was young for the part as it was originally conceived, would evolve Kowalski from being a vicious older man to someone whose unintentional cruelty can be attributed to youthful ignorance. The play could be said to be in the genre of Southern Gothic, focusing on death, violence, madness and decay. Teacher Editions with classroom activities for all 1699 titles we cover. Beyond finding Blanche's delicate hoidy-toidy act as putting on airs, Stanley, a plant worker, believes she may really have sold Belle Reve and is withholding Stella's fair share of the proceeds from them. Dont have an account? Williams uses a flexible set so that the audience simultaneously sees the interior and the exterior of the apartment. You'll be able to access your notes and highlights, make requests, and get updates on new titles. He later traveled to Hollywood to work as a screenwriter. Jefferson, NC and London: McFarland & Company, Inc., 2009. Baldwin, Lange and Goodman all received Emmy Award nominations. "A Streetcar Named Desire" is a play by Tennessee Williams. As the film progresses, the set of the Kowalski apartment actually gets smaller to heighten the suggestion of Blanche's increasing claustrophobia. For a moment, Stanley seems caught off guard over her proclaimed feelings. Almost immediately, Blanche appears trying to find a certain street number. Glenn Close starred in Trevor Nunn's 2002 production for the National Theatre at the Lyttleton Theatre, London. It is an evening in early May in the 1930s. This production, directed by Liv Ullmann, starred Cate Blanchett as Blanche, Joel Edgerton as Stanley, Robin McLeavy as Stella and Tim Richards as Mitch. (including. Instances of violence, insanity, and sex often figure prominently in the action, and all of these elements are readily apparent in Streetcar. A tragedy traditionally focuses on a tragic hero or heroine. Free trial is available to new customers only. Stanley stumbles outside, bellowing upstairs: STELL-LAHHHHH! Stella slips back downstairs into Stanleys arms, and Mitch comforts Blanche in her distress. It is directed by Elia Kazan, and stars Vivien Leigh, Marlon Brando, Kim Hunter, and Karl Malden. 237-246. The Sydney Theatre Company production of A Streetcar Named Desire premiered on September 5 and ran until October 17, 2009. for a group? He tells Stella about the Napoleonic Code which, in those days, was a legal right of a husband over his wife's financial affairs. Full Title: A Streetcar Named Desire When Written: 1946-7 Where Written: New York, Los Angeles, and New Orleans When Published: Broadway premiere December 3, 1947 Literary Period: Dramatic naturalism Genre: Psychological drama Setting: New Orleans, LA Climax: Stanley's rape of Blanche at the end of Scene Ten Antagonist: Stanley Kowalski However, only Baldwin and Lange were from the stage production. Blanche is shocked to see that her sister has returned to her husband right after he assaulted her. Below you will find the important quotes in A Streetcar Named Desire related to the theme of Interior and Exterior Appearance. Blanche is in real need of a protector at this stage in her life when circumstances lead her into paying a visit to her younger sister Stella in New Orleans. [6], An Australian production with Viola Keats as Blanche and Arthur Franz as Stanley opened at the Comedy Theatre in Melbourne in February 1950.[7].