A Streetcar Named Desire @ Cleveland Play House 1/18 Do you have high school or middle school teenagers at home who think culture is watching the latest reality show? Do you want to take them to see the real thing but don’t want to get burned financially, or see them melt from boredom in their seats. If you do, may I strongly suggest checking out the Cleveland Play House’s current production of A Streetcar Named Desire.

Yes, I know the reviews in the local print media have been just lukewarm. But take it from a high school teacher who has been taking students to plays for over twenty-five years, this production is good. A great story, a talented cast, a mesmerizing stage, and timely use of music.

Don’t blame it on the reviewers for their weak reviews, they have just seen this play too many times. I just saw it in a full theater of public middle and high school students and they didn’t have a clue about the play beforehand, and they loved it. It held their interest for two and a half hours, and they all stood and applauded at the end. Maybe they didn’t get everything, but they knew they had seen something special.

When my siblings and I were young oh so many years ago, our parents occasionally would throw us in the station wagon and take us to see live theater, whether it was the All Night Strut, Jacques Brel is Alive in Paris, or some sitcom star in a production at the John Kenley players. Sometimes it clicked right away, sometimes it didn’t, and sometimes it clicked years later. But it was always a special night not spent in front of the television, complete with dinner in a fancy restaurant, one where we were treated as adults.

You want one of those nights with your kids? Then check put this production before it ends on February 5th. The cast features Akron native Jason Paul Fields as a brawny Stanley Kowalski, a sexy Kelly Mares as Stella, and Denison grad Hollis Resnick as Blanche. Doug Jwell and Starla Benford really shine as Eunice and Steve, and you almost wish there was more stage time for their parts. Todd Rosenthal’s set design is outstanding, and Playhouse artistic director Michael Bloom does a fine job directing. Don’t worry about the kids falling asleep, the play’s treatment of sexuality will keep their interests while still leaving much to their imaginations.

And if you don’t have teenage children, or if you do but want a night away from them, and you want a night of good theater with a friend or two, this is also a production for you. The Cleveland Play House’s performance of Tennessee Williams’ Streetcar Named Desire is good stuff for adults too.
From Cool Cleveland contributor Greg Cielec hidden-email:pvryrp@ubgznvy.pbz? (:divend:)