REVIEW: A Streetcar Named Desire - The Asylum Players, Lincoln Blue Room, 16th – 18th & 23rd – 25th October, 7.30pm, 2025 - ****.5/5
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- 5 days ago
- 3 min read
Walking into The Blue Room for The Asylum Players’ autumn production of A Streetcar Named Desire, one immediately senses an atmosphere both intimate and uneasy — which is exactly what Tennessee Williams intended. The small scale of the space underscores the claustrophobia of the story, bringing audience members uncomfortably close to the sparks of conflict, the fractures of identity, the lies and delusions.
From the outset, the direction signals that this will be a raw, emotionally-charged evening. Williams’ New Orleans is not romanticised — the play’s oppressive heat, sexual tension, and moral decay are on full display here. The decision to accompany the play with live piano accompaniment and brassy vocals (performed by Barbara Lynch and Charlotte Orr respectively) draws us into that roaring, haunted sense of place.
The cast tackles some of theatre’s most iconic — and most dangerous — characters. Blanche DuBois, fragile and grandiose by turns, is handled with sensitivity: Nicola Calver should be commended for her capacity to swing between razored intellect, emotional fragility, and denial. Stanley, raw and brutish, bursts into the space with enough force to make us recoil — Mark Brewer’s primal energy is an unsettling counterpoint to Blanche’s illusions. And Stella, caught in the eye of the storm, is played with a heart-breaking ambivalence by Laura Turner: torn between loyalty to her sister and her fierce, messy love for Stanley.
The interactions between them — the standoff, the seduction, the confrontations — are lit with danger. One senses in the staging that the Stephen Gillard’s direction isn’t content simply to “do” Streetcar, but to ask: who among the trio is truly unreliable and unhinged — Blanche, Stanley, or Stella? That interpretive question gives the production an edge rather than flattening it into a rote version of the classic.
In a small theatre like the Blue Room, minimalism is an ally rather than a constraint. Here, the set is pared back but evocative: just enough furniture, props, and detail to suggest a cramped New Orleans apartment, shadows seeping at the edges, the suggestion of humidity and decay. Lighting plays a key role in sculpting mood — turning corners into hiding places.
Occasionally, though, some lines feel slightly lost in the acoustics: in a few key emotional confrontations, the quieter asides or whispered confessions could have been stronger with more clarity. But that is a risk in small venues; the sense of theatrical immediacy largely compensates.
The supporting cast is impeccable. Simon Payne’s Mitch, a similarly simpering and brooding character, holds his own in his intimate moments, while Laura Martin’s Eunice and Joe Hayden’s Steve are equally vitriolic in their passions. It would be a disservice to say they are mere ‘comic relief’, but tonally, they do help break us out of the claustrophobia of the set and setting.
This staging delivers when it leans into discomfort. Part thrust staging, it doesn’t let us settle into distance: the production challenges us to stay alert — when Blanche lies, we want to catch her; when Stanley rages, we wonder how far he might go; when Stella vacillates, we feel the stakes between familial loyalty and survival.
The Asylum Players’ A Streetcar Named Desire at the Blue Room is a bold, compelling take on a storied classic. Its strength lies not in replication or reverence, but in its willingness to interrogate the characters up close. The play is slightly overlong, however, if you’re seeking an emotionally raw, thought-provoking night of theatre — one that will leave echoes long after you leave the auditorium — this production is well worth catching.
'A Streetcar Named Desire' is being performed on Saturday 18th, Thursday 23rd, Friday 24th and Saturday 25th October at 7.30pm at the Blue Room in Lincoln. Tickets can be purchased via the link below:
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