“Vessels” is a retelling of “A Streetcar Named Desire” that veers off the tracks of literary convention and into the modern era.
In the approximate 60-year span since Tennessee Williams first wrote “A Streetcar Named Desire,” United States society has undergone some enormous changes. “Vessels,” a modern retelling of the play, aims to twist the classic story in the direction of America’s ever-shifting identity.
The play exposes all of the violence, abuse and sexuality boiling beneath the surface in “A Streetcar Named Desire,” resulting in a dizzying night of theater. Despite a sometimes confusing change of tone, the rendition never fails to fascinate.
The basic plot remains the same: Southern dame Blanche DuBois flees her home to live in New Orleans with her sister, Stella, thereby angering Stella’s macho, domineering husband.
UNM faculty member Joe Alberti plays Stanley, Stella’s husband, with an appealing mix of grace and edginess, reminiscent of male musical leads from bygone eras; think James Cagney, or even John Travolta. Four UNM students, Quinn Rol, Stephen Armijo, Miles O’Dowd and Drew Morrison, provide the audience relief by performing songs and comic bits.
The characters, however, may not be exactly how you remember them from “A Streetcar Named Desire.”
“Vessels” achieves its wicked humor with characters who make their intentions and inner thoughts explicit where they are concealed in the original “Streetcar.”
At first it is disconcerting to watch the hallowed, iconic characters of American theater become caricaturized versions of themselves. The blunt approach works for the comedic aspects of “Vessels,” but the superficial approach to the characters saps the story of emotional weight.
Rife with clever humor, “Vessels” is equally filled with raw brutality. Scenes of sex, violence and abuse, which Tennessee Williams only implied, are in plain sight.
Some of these harsher scenes lose essential gravity because they are sandwiched between slapstick comedy and catchy rock songs. Others, especially closer to the end, maintain profound power and intensity. These vulnerable and monstrous moments redeem “Vessels” with honesty and fresh perspective.
The last scene, when Stanley rapes Blanche, is the climax of “A Streetcar Named Desire,” and is the catalyst for a stunning third act, when Blanche firmly rejects the role of the victim.
While the themes in “Vessels” are strong, the technical production could use some work. It suffers from poor audio set-up: Actors seem clumsily miced, and the vocals are often drowned out by the live band accompaniment.
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Overall, “Vessels” is a memorable stage experience. In a year when Albuquerque has seen numerous productions of Tennessee Williams’ plays, Tricklock Company’s “Vessels” is a unique contribution, deconstructing one of his best plays and taking a bracing, close look at the ideas under the surface.
“Vessels”
by Kevin R. Elder
Runs until Dec. 4th
Thursday through Saturday (no show Thanksgiving day), 8 p.m.
Sunday, 2 p.m.
UNM’s Theatre X, in the basement of the Center of Fine Arts
$15 General admission
$10 Students and Seniors
$5 Student Rush 5 min. before curtain
