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A Streetcar Named Desire

By: Tennessee Williams
Narrated by: Carla Gugino, Audra McDonald
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Publisher's summary

Following his 2019 production of A Raisin in the Sun, celebrated as "an absorbing, watershed revival," by The New York Times, Robert O’Hara returns to Williamstown Theatre Festival to direct this Tennessee Williams masterpiece. With Emmy, Grammy, and six-time Tony Award winner Audra McDonald as Blanche DuBois alongside Carla Gugino as Stella, O’Hara takes a fresh and visceral look at the emotionally charged relationship between these two iconic sisters. Haunted by her past, Blanche seeks refuge with Stella and Stanley (Ariel Shafir) in New Orleans, where she wrestles with the nature of her sister’s husband, her sister’s denial, and her own unraveling mind.

Now available in Dolby Atmos on Audible.

©1947 Tennessee Williams (P)2020 2020 AO Media LLC
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Go Behind the Scenes of A Streetcar Named Desire

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About the Creator

Tennessee Williams was born in 1911 in Columbus, Mississippi, where his grandfather was the Episcopal clergyman. When his father, a travelling salesman, moved with his family to St Louis some years later, both he and his sister found it impossible to settle down to city life. He entered college during the Depression and left after a couple of years to take a clerical job in a shoe company. He stayed there for two years, spending the evenings writing. He entered the University of Iowa in 1938 and completed his course, at the same time holding a large number of part-time jobs of great diversity. He received a Rockefeller fellowship in 1940 for his play BATTLE OF ANGELS, and he won the Pulitzer Prize in 1948 for A Streetcar Named Desire and in 1955 for Cat on a Hot Tin Roof. Other plays include Summer and Smoke, The Rose Tattoo, Camino Real, Baby Doll, The Glass Menagerie, Orpheus Descending, Suddenly Last Summer, The Night of the Iguana, Sweet Bird of Youth, and The Two-Character Play. Tennessee Williams died in 1983.

About the Director

Robert O'Hara has received the NAACP Best Play and Best Director Award, the Helen Hayes Award for Outstanding New Play, two Obies and the Herb Alpert Award. Broadway: Slave Play. Off Broadway: He directed the world premieres of Jeremy O. Harris’ Slave Play, Nikkole Salter and Dania Guiria’s In the Continuum, Tarell McCraney’s The Brother/ Sister Plays (Part 2), Colman Domingo’s Wild with Happy, Kirsten Childs’ Bella: An American Tall Tale, as well as his own plays, Mankind, Bootycandy, and Insurrection: Holding History. His plays Zombie: The American and Barbecue world premiered at Woolly Mammoth Theater and The Public Theater, respectively. His recent directing projects include, Baum and Cheri’s Gun and Powder at Signature Theater, Lorraine Hansberry’s Raisin in the Sun at Williamstown Theater Festival, Aziza Barnes’ BLKS at MCC, Inda Craig-Galvan’s Black Superhero Magic Mama at The Geffen Theater, the Universes’ Uni/Son, inspired by the poetry of August Wilson at OSF and Shakespeare’s Macbeth at Denver Center for the Performing Arts.

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What listeners say about A Streetcar Named Desire

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An absolute delight!

The performances were very strong. They’re voices setting the stage for what is a powerful, gripping, sexy, moving and raw telling of this classic. A triumph in the face of adversity!

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6 people found this helpful

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Amazing

Streetcar was already a favorite but this cast brought it to another level. Audra was unbelievable (as always). I can’t believe the creativity that needed to go into a production like this. I was blown away!

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5 people found this helpful

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Loved it!

Read and study this several years ago, like when I was in high school, like 40 years ago. I even done a monologue from it when I was trying out for a play. The one where Blanche is talking about Stanley's poker night.
Didn't really understand it all when I was in high school so was glad to listen to it so excellently performed on Audible. The part where you know that Blanche has been raped is still hard to hear and in this day and times wonder why things that promote such violence against women are still lauded as exceptional and classic. But I still think we need to know where we came from so we do not repeat it.

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1 person found this helpful

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Crazy Houseguest Won't Leave

This is why you always want to see a return ticket in hand before letting them in. Seriously, this was a well-performed radio play. Complex characters brought to life by great acting. One of the best performances of "ASND" I've encountered.

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Marvelously Audible Rendition

I enjoyed this so much. I loved the narrators performance. Stella and Stanley are married and Blanche her nervous and insecure sister.
This is an emotional and realistic play.

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Utterly astonishing

I thought I knew this play. Opened up my imagination, listening to the dialog with brand new ears. Enjoyed the interview with the director at the end about his choices. Totally fresh take on this play. I’ll listen again.

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Incredible

Sound is incredible, but the telling of this story was even better. Enjoy - I did.

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Audra! Packs a punch

Audra McDonald, without changing a single word of this Tennessee Williams classic, brings a new character image to Blanche duBois. She is still Blanche, but a seemingly stronger Blanche who fiercely believes her own story, until that final scene when she leaves the stage with the play’s most famous line, “Whoever you are, I have always relied on the kindness of strangers.” Excellent rendition by entire cast.

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4 people found this helpful

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Exceptional Performance

This was exquisitely performed. It was really engaging. Audra McDonald really made Blanche come to life. I mean the whole cast was brilliant. This is a MUST listen.

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2 people found this helpful

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AMAZING

This performance was AMAZING!! The actors were extraordinary and truly brought this classic to life!

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1 person found this helpful