SO… sorry to be too late in reporting that Paige Dunckel’s rendition of Tennessee Williams’ classic tragedy was very well done. The two-story set (Monika Esssen) conveyed the shadowy mood of this wrong-side-of-the-tracks apartment, with evocative lighting (Michael Beyer) casting a graffiti-like web of images, some suggesting reflections of the surrounding neighborhood, costumes (Kate Hudson Koskinen) and props (Katie Doyle) conveyed the 40s era.
Classic characters marked the fall of Blanche DuBois. Mitch (Zach Riley) was engaging and sincere, raising Blanche’s hope of redemption; Stella (Sarah Wilke) was solicitous of her fragile sister, but rooted in her marriage, despite its challenges; Stanley (Michael McCallum) had a down-to-earth intimidating power; while Blanche (Anna Szabo) delivered a willowy, vulnerable, desperate mirage of a character, of course, finally “depending on the kindness of strangers.”
The Dart auditorium was full enough that I doubt they needed my opinion to attract an audience for this classic script.