The Opening Of Bay Street Theater’s Literature Live! Presentation Of Tennessee Williams'”A Streetcar Named Desire’

Bay Street Theater in Sag Harbor opened its Literature Live! presentation of Tennessee Williams’ acclaimed play “A Streetcar Named Desire.” The red carpet premiere was celebrated on Saturday, November 16. The classic performance runs through Sunday, December 1. Bay Street co-founder and original Executive Director Stephen Hamilton directs the compelling drama for the 16th anniversary of the popular Literature Live! performance series.

The Pulitzer Prize-winning play was written in 1947 post WWII and set in New Orleans. It is more than a play about the old Southern values versus the new modern multicultural South dealing with issues like the ever-changing economy, immigration, prejudice, and the creation of social classes. “Streetcar” is also a play layered with heavy psychological themes such as reality vs. fantasy, as well as dependency, sexual desire, domestic violence, and things that weren’t spoken about, never mind portrayed on a public stage. Then there are the more primal themes like “survival of the fittest” and “might is right” — the fact that the strong always survive over the weak. 

This production successfully delves into all these themes. To many women, the plight of the character of Blanche Dubois, played masterfully and maniacally by Daniela Mastropietro and her younger sister, Stella Kowalski, played innocently yet dutifully by Katie Rodgers, feels all too familiar today. But this was a time when women obeyed their husbands who, like Stanley Kowalski, played by the brutishly handsome Shea Buckner, are “the kings of their castles.” When their power is threatened by anyone, in this case, Blanche, a single, childless, educated, yet overly sensitive woman, they will pounce and destroy. The fear of losing or changing is too much for them to bear. Unfortunately, in the end, the battle is fought, causing Blanche to spiral into the darkest depths, and power is once again restored.

The set and costume design are authentic and magically transport you onto the steamy, smokey, jazz-filled streets of the French Quarter; add in the violence and boozy debauchery, and you’ve got Bay Street Theater’s latest production of “A Streetcar Named Desire.”

The cast also features Sawyer A. Spielberg as Harold “Mitch” Mitchell, Nicole Marie Hunt as Eunice Hubbell, Joe Pallister as Steve Hubbell, Carlos Garcia as Pablo Gonzalez, Matthew Conlon as The Doctor, and Adelaide Mestre as The Nurse/Mexican Woman.

Among the attendees at the opening were Bay Street Theater Board of Trustee Chairman Steve Todrys and Members David Fink, Eric Segal, Jennifer Bartley, Carol Konner, and Elise Leve and Literature Live! sponsor Bobbie Braun, along with other patrons. For tickets, visit baystreet.org.