A Streetcar Named Desire revolutionized the modern stage and this book offers the first continuous history of the play in production from 1947 to 1998. Chapters survey major national premieres by the world's leading directors including Seki Sano, Luchino Visconti, Ingmar Bergman, Jean Cocteau and Laurence Olivier. Interpretations by Black and gay theater companies also receive analyses, and transformations into other media, such as ballet, film, television, and opera (premiered in 1998) form an important part of the overall study.
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Book Description
Editorial Reviews
Review
"This book represents a major synthesis of resources and commentary on productions of 'A Streetcar Named Desire' around the world and across five decades." Felicia Londre, Kansas City Star
"[A] marvelous investigation of Williams' most famous play in production..." Plays International
"...it is [Kolin's] vast reservoir of knowledge about Williams coupled with the depth of his astute assessment of the play in its various manifestations that raises this essential book to a level will beyond mere chronology. Undergraduates seeking an introduction to one of the seminal dramas of the 20th century and Williams scholars will find this book equally valuable." Choice
"With this series ['Plays in Production'] Cambridge University Press leads the way in paying attention to the central playtexts that have shaped the modern and the contemporary stage and according them the kind of historical and scholarly research that they deserve..." American Drama
"In this study, an indispensable companion to all subsequent stagings of the play, Kolin provides a detailed examination and reconstruction of the Broadway premiere, an invaluable and difficult to assemble study of the premieres of the play in other countries, a brilliant assessment of the radicalizing of the play in recent alternative scripts and castings, and a review of the metamorphoses of Streetcar into such diverse media as film, ballet, teleplay and opera. Kolin's passionate attachment to the playwright frankly infuses his commentary, his years of study and research into Williams' oeuvre inform his scholarly insights..." American Drama
"Kolin's discussion of the original production...admirably lays the groundwork for fully appreciating the vastly varied history of the play...This fine volume confirms the premise of the series [Plays in Production]: systematically documenting and critically assessing the performance histories of individual works provides a lively, accessible and valuable register for contemporary theatre historiography." The Drama Review
"Anyone who picks up his book will learn something new from this well-written, entertaining and accessible mixture of theatre history, dramatic criticism, and cultural analysis." American Drama
"Kolin's efforts...succeed admirably in providing a rich view of this script's convoluted history. Kolin does an admirable job of keeping the reader engaged with his clean and concise style...[A] welcome addition to the Plays in Production series." Midwest Quarterly
"...a welcome addition to the Plays in Production series." The Midwet Quarterly
"[A] marvelous investigation of Williams' most famous play in production..." Plays International
"...it is [Kolin's] vast reservoir of knowledge about Williams coupled with the depth of his astute assessment of the play in its various manifestations that raises this essential book to a level will beyond mere chronology. Undergraduates seeking an introduction to one of the seminal dramas of the 20th century and Williams scholars will find this book equally valuable." Choice
"With this series ['Plays in Production'] Cambridge University Press leads the way in paying attention to the central playtexts that have shaped the modern and the contemporary stage and according them the kind of historical and scholarly research that they deserve..." American Drama
"In this study, an indispensable companion to all subsequent stagings of the play, Kolin provides a detailed examination and reconstruction of the Broadway premiere, an invaluable and difficult to assemble study of the premieres of the play in other countries, a brilliant assessment of the radicalizing of the play in recent alternative scripts and castings, and a review of the metamorphoses of Streetcar into such diverse media as film, ballet, teleplay and opera. Kolin's passionate attachment to the playwright frankly infuses his commentary, his years of study and research into Williams' oeuvre inform his scholarly insights..." American Drama
"Kolin's discussion of the original production...admirably lays the groundwork for fully appreciating the vastly varied history of the play...This fine volume confirms the premise of the series [Plays in Production]: systematically documenting and critically assessing the performance histories of individual works provides a lively, accessible and valuable register for contemporary theatre historiography." The Drama Review
"Anyone who picks up his book will learn something new from this well-written, entertaining and accessible mixture of theatre history, dramatic criticism, and cultural analysis." American Drama
"Kolin's efforts...succeed admirably in providing a rich view of this script's convoluted history. Kolin does an admirable job of keeping the reader engaged with his clean and concise style...[A] welcome addition to the Plays in Production series." Midwest Quarterly
"...a welcome addition to the Plays in Production series." The Midwet Quarterly
Book Description
A Streetcar Named Desire revolutionized the modern stage and this book offers the first continuous history of the play in production from 1947 1998. Chapters survey major national premieres by the world's leading directors including those by Seki Sano, Luchino Visconti, Ingmar Bergman, Jean Cocteau and Laurence Olivier. Interpretations by Black and gay theatre companies also receive analyses and transformations into other media, such as ballet, film, television, and opera (premiered in 1998) form an important part of the overall study.
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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
By A Customer
Format:Paperback
This is a valuable book for anyone interested in Williams and his most popular play. Kolin covers a great deal of fascinating productions and the role that the world's major directors have played in them--Kazan, Olivier, Ingrid Bergman, Cocteau, and Visconti. Drawing on reviews, interviews, and some very hard to find archival materials, Kolin takes us behind the scenes as we learn about how actors played Stanley and Blanche over the last fifty years. There are fascinating chapters, too, on the film and teleplay versions of Streetcar as well as the ballet and gay adaptations of Streetcar. Everything you ever wanted to know about Streetcar is here. Meticulously documented and artfully written--the photos are incredible.
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