Review of National Theatre Live: A Streetcar Named Desire (2014) by Bradley H — 15 Sep 2014

Gillian Anderson is fantastic as Blanche, taking full advantage of what that role offers. Ben Foster made a few surprising choices with Stanley, which worked out well. On a critical note, a couple of the British actors seemed to have trouble maintaining an American South dialect.

As for production choices, the device of the revolving platform and in-the-round seating seemed to work well. But, the visual updating of the time period (the lines were not altered) did not seem to serve a purpose. The music choices were generally quite good and played in well with a solidly utilized style of scene change. However, there were a few music cues that seemed a bit too jarring for the moments in which they were placed.

Overall, this is a filmed theatrical production worth seeing on the strength of Anderson's performance alone.