Elia Kazan shot his 1951 film adaptation of Tennessee Williams’ play A Streetcar Named Desire in black and white, but Williams painted his characters with an intricate palette, an artistic feat that’s still stirring debate today. Can Williams’ iconic creations, Blanche DuBois and Stanley Kowalski, be boiled down to simplistic labels such as “victim” and “villain”?

Likewise, the Broadway in Portland touring musical production of Kimberly Akimbo offers its own brand of complexity, mixing budding life and imminent death in a story about a teen whose body is aging so fast, she’s already post-menopausal.

And adding more layers to our cultural conversations, Mrs. Harrison, which is opening at Portland Center Stage, was written by R. Eric Thomas, who, among other things, is an advice columnist who’s more interested in starting dialogue than issuing decrees on how his readers should deal with life.

If January, with its dull skies and cold days spent inside, is the ideal month for probing the ideas and issues within our minds, not to mention the warring views that are gouging wounds throughout the greater world, then these three productions, as well as other shows opening this month, are arriving at the perfect time. With their complex characters, they may invite us to see the repair of both personal and universal ills as a product of careful reflection rather than solely calling for a battering ram of action.

“A Streetcar Named Desire”: Yesterday and today

Jerry Mouawad pays tribute to Tennessee Williams’ masterpiece, while finding new ways to explore its themes of class conflict, mental illness and sexual abuse.

It’s not completely clear who was the inspiration for Tennessee Williams’ great tragic character Blanche DuBois in his 1947 play A Streetcar Named Desire, but  Nancy Shoenberger, the author of Blanche: The Life and Times of Tennessee Williams’s Greatest Creation believes his troubled heroine resembles the playwright’s sister, Rose.

Shoenberger points out that, like the fictional character, Rose took pains about her appearance and loved beautiful clothes, flowers and jewelry. More significantly, though, Rose, who was eventually diagnosed with schizophrenia, insinuated that she was sexually abused by her father, an accusation that her mother saw as definitive proof of her mental illness. Rose was later lobotomized and then institutionalized for the rest of her life. In a harrowing parallel in the play, Blanche’s sister, Stella, doesn’t believe Blanche when she says Stella’s husband raped her, and the famed ending of Elia Kazan’s 1951 film shows a passively smiling Blanche (Vivien Leigh) being gently led to a car that’s headed to a mental health hospital.

Jerry Mouawad, who’s directing A Streetcar Named Desire at Imago Theatre this month, doesn’t recall the first time he saw the show, but the film adaptation starring Leigh and Marlon Brando (who also played Stanley on Broadway) made a memorable impact on him. “I never thought I’d direct this play, because of the iconic nature of the work in the American history of theater, it’s so well known,” Mouawad said in a recent email. “However, when in casting for our season, I discovered four great actors that could carry the challenge of the leads, and I decided to go forward.”

Mouawad notes that the play offers more nuanced characters than we may be used to today. “Today’s media, internet and our societal views seem to drive us to see the world as  binary – good or bad or neutral – seldom do we have complex shades. If Mr. Williams was still with us, I think he would hold true to a vision of things, events and people which are not always black and white, and it is circumstance that drives people and events to action.” Williams, he says, was a genius who created characters with both “major flaws and wonderful beauty.”  

According to a 2008 article by Claudia Roth Pierpoint in The New Yorker, when the 23-year-old Brando auditioned for the play, his youth humanized Stanley, “reducing his willful destructiveness to what Williams excitedly described as ‘the brutality or callousness of youth.’ Good and evil were now more subtly matched: it would not be so easy to take sides.” 

In the end though, sides were definitely taken:

“Without changing a word,” Pierpoint wrote, “the actor seemed to have expanded the role and turned Williams’s original meaning upside down. Jessica Tandy, the British actress who played Blanche, was furious that the audience laughed along with Stanley’s jokes at her expense—as though he were a regular guy putting an uppity woman in her place—and stunned that it openly extended its sympathies more to the executioner than to his victim.”  

Today, Mouawad firmly states, “Blanche is our protagonist, even with a troubled past. Mr. Williams gives us many ways to empathize with her, and through her downfall we hear insights of her wisdom on death, truth, tenderness and compassion.”  

Working with a cast that’s “dedicated to finding a fresh and visceral production,” Mouawad believes his staging will create a “state of discovery” for its audience as well as for the cast and production team. Together, he says, we’ll be “unveiling what we learn,” and exploring how the work affects “our emotions, our intellect and our view of others.”

“A Streetcar Named Desire” will be onstage at Imago Theatre, 17 S.E. 8th Ave., Portland, Jan. 17–Feb. 2.

A promising “Kimberly Akimbo” hits town

No FOMO: Broadway veteran Carolee Carmello fills some big shoes in the touring production of the musical Kimberly Akimbo.

For those, like me, who didn’t get to see the Tony-winning Victoria Clark in the original Broadway production of the musical Kimberly Akimbo, have no fear. Her replacement in the touring production, Carolee Carmello, is winning rave reviews. According to Charles McNulty of the LA Times, who actually preferred the touring version, Carolee Carmello is “heartbreakingly wonderful” as Kimberly Levaco, a 16-year-old who suffers from a degenerative condition that makes her age at hyperspeed. Likewise, Lily Janiak wrote in the San Francisco Chronicle, “Carmello, who’s 62, nails the way teens skew their bodies and scrunch their faces, as if steeling themselves so as not to absorb parents and life head-on.” Considering Carmello’s impressive resume, such accolades are unsurprising. She’s appeared in 15 Broadway musicals, including big guns like Mamma Mia!, Kiss Me, Kate and The Addams Family.

On Broadway, Kimberly won five Tonys, including one for best musical, plus awards for Jeanine Tesori’s score and Danny Mefford’s choreography. David Lindsay-Abaire, who won a Tony for his book and lyrics, is also the writer of the 2007 Pulitzer Prize-winning play Rabbit Hole, about a couple dealing with the death of a child. Time is running out for Kimberly, too: In the story, the average life expectancy for people with her disease is 16. Although that’s an unusually dark premise for a musical, by all accounts the show is ultimately uplifting. The New Yorker called the Broadway production “howlingly funny, hopscotching among emotions with virtuosic fluidity,” and Janiak said Tesori’s score “is a house of wonders.”

Kimberly Akimbo, presented by Broadway in Portland, will be onstage at Keller Auditorium, 222 S.W. Clay St., Portland, Jan. 14-19. Best for ages 13 and up.

“Mrs. Harrison”: Finding empathy at Portland Center Stage

After facing adversity, some people grow more compassionate, while others feel the need to punish the world for their own pain.

Playwright, humorist, and columnist R. Eric Thomas, the author of Portland Center Stage’s upcoming Mrs. Harrison, directed by Tiffany Nichole Greene, falls into the former category. “In all my work, empathy is the foundational element,” he wrote in the introduction to his syndicated advice column, “Asking Eric,” which appeared in The Oregonian in May 2024.

Thomas, who is Black, gay, and Christian, grew up in Baltimore with parents who encouraged him to see a world as full of possibilities, but his family also attended a conservative church that predicted damnation for LGBTQ+ folks. In spite of this potentially devastating internal tug-of-war – or perhaps because of it –  Harrison pours positive energy into his prolific and wide-ranging writing. In addition to his plays, he’s written for television (such as Apple TV’s Dickinson, which starred Hailee Steinfeld as a rebellious version of the famous poet) and four books, including a YA novel. The press for his collection of essays, Here For It: Or How to Save Your Soul in America, sums up his talent for dealing with complexity by describing the book as both “heartfelt and hilarious.”

That humor is integral to much of his writing. As Thomas told PCS literary manager and Mrs. Harrison dramaturg Kamilah Bush, “I see laughter on a somatic and a soul level as an opener, as a dialate. Where you’re laughing, other things can sneak in. In a sort of Chekhovian way — laughing through tears or laughing until you cry, crying until you laugh. It allows us to have a much more emotionally rich conversation.”

Ironically, the comedic writer takes conversation seriously, and Thomas views his advice column as another form of dialogue. When he shares his own stories, he wrote in his column introduction, “pathways open to the listener or reader. Pathways that invite them to think about their own lives differently.”

Rather than telling his readers what to do, Thomas hopes his column gets people thinking and talking, something Mrs. Harrison is sure to do, too. The play, which sounds like a zinger, takes place in a “well-appointed faculty restroom at a prestigious university,” where two former friends — Aisha, a Black, successful playwright, and Holly, a white, struggling stand-up comedian — meet during their 10-year reunion. Coincidentally (or not), Aisha’s most successful play resembles a tragic event from Holly’s past.

“You don’t have to agree with someone to empathize with them,” Thomas told Bush. “I think that is one of the core tensions of this time, and perhaps any time, and I think that is one of the core tensions of this play.”

“Mrs. Harrison” will be on the U.S. Bank Main Stage at PCS, 128 N.W. 11th Ave., Portland, Jan. 19–Feb. 16.

ALSO OPENING

Stumptown Stages’ Hairspray, Jan. 17–Feb. 9.

Based on John Waters’ comic film of the same title, the musical version of Hairspray, which won eight Tony Awards, takes place in 1962 Baltimore, where social outcast Tracy Turnblad is determined to dance on the “Corny Collins Show.” Gary Wayne Cash will be portraying Tracy’s mother, a role that was originated by Divine in the 1988 film, followed by Harvey Fierstein in the 2002 Broadway musical, and John Travolta in the 2007 musical film. The production is directed by Julianne Johnson-Weiss, and Jeff George, who choreographed Stumptown’s recent It’s a Wonderful Life, is back to design the dancing.

Fiction at Mask & Mirror, Jan.17-Feb. 8.

The intriguing-sounding play by Steven Dietz features a woman who asks her husband to share his diaries with her after she’s diagnosed with a tumor. Directed by Tony Broom, the production will be onstage at Tualatin United Methodist Church.

One Act Wonders at Ten Fifteen Productions, Jan. 24-Feb.8.

A collection of one-act plays, collectively known as One Act Wonders will begin the Astoria company Ten Fifteen Productions’ 2025 season. The three plays have their own directors, but will feature an ensemble cast, and the audience will have the opportunity to vote for their favorite, which will then be entered into the American Association of Community Theatre’s One Act Competition. The plays include ‘dentity Crisis by Christopher Durang, directed by Ryan Hull; Out at Sea by Slawomir Mrozek, directed by Karen Bain; and Conflict by Wade Bradford, directed by Deborah Jensen.

CONTINUING SHOWS

Deep End Theatre’s production of Krapp’s Last Tape at 21ten Theatre,  through Jan. 19.

In his ArtsWatch review of the play, Bob Hicks called Deep End Theatre’s production of the one-act Krapp’s Last Tape “a remarkable piece of theater, a nightmare of failure and loss enlivened by carefully controlled wit.” Written by Nobel Prize-winning Samuel Beckett, the play, which is thought to be his most autobiographical work, stars the award-winning Bruce Burkhartsmeier and is directed by Victoria Parker-Pohl at 21ten Theatre.

The Maltese Falcon, at Lakewood Theatre Company, through Feb. 9.

Based on Dashiell Hammett’s 1930 novel and John Huston’s 1941 film noir starring Humphrey Bogart, this U.S. premiere of The Maltese Falcon features private detective Sam Spade, a priceless statue, a femme fatale, and a murdered partner. ArtsWatch reviewed the show here.

AND LOOKING AHEAD

Samsara at Profile Theatre, Jan. 23-Feb. 9.

Lauren Yee’s comedy features an expectant couple, their unenthusiastic surrogate, and a smart-mouthed fetus.

American Son at Twilight Theater, Jan. 23-Feb. 9.

The play, by Christopher Demos-Brown, portrays a parent’s worst fears when an estranged biracial couple’s son is detained by police.

8-Track: The Sounds of the 70s in Concert at Broadway Rose Theatre, Jan. 23-Feb.16.

Billed as a “fast-paced musical romp,” the show includes songs such as The Jackson 5’s chart-topper “I Want You Back” and the BeeGees’ disco hit “Stayin’ Alive.” The production will be presented on the Broadway Rose New Stage and tickets are selling fast.

Portland Experimental Theatre Ensemble’s Faena, at CoHo Theatre, Jan. 30-Feb. 2.

PETE is presenting a tragicomedy by Dylan Hankins that features an absurd matador’s date with death. According to its press, the play “is an homage to the esperpento, a uniquely Spanish genre of tragicomedy that utilizes baroque, flamboyant, and grotesque exaggerations of reality to comment on a deeper truth.“

Arsenic and Old Lace at Pentacle Theatre in Salem, Jan. 31-Feb. 22.

This black comedy featuring a homicidal family was written by Joseph Kesselring in 1939, then Frank Capra made a film adaptation starring Cary Grant in 1944. Pentacle’s production is directed by Scott Ramp.

Becoming: An Evening of Student Written Theatre produced by Sunstone Theatre, Jan. 31 & Feb. 1.

The nonprofit company Sunstone Theatre, which is entirely run by students and young professionals, will be producing an evening of three new works written by students or playwrights from across the country. Everyone working on the production is also a student or young professional based in the Portland area. The shows, which are directed by Bennett Buccholz, include Uno, a short comedy by Gene Berg about a family game night; Timothy Turner’s The Stapler, which is described as a “genre-bending piece”; and Meredith BlackCreek’s Saturation, about a young boy diagnosed with a terminal illness. The shows will be presented at 21ten Theatre in Southeast Portland.

THEATER NEWS

Fertile Ground Late Registration continues through Jan. 15

Late registration for new theater projects to be included in Fertile Ground 2025 will be accepted with a $30 fee through Jan. 15. The simple registration process requires producers to provide the number of projects, the title(s), and performance type. So far, more than 40 projects have been registered. Fertile Ground is a community-curated festival – anyone who wants to participate is welcome to present work under the Fertile Ground umbrella. Projects can range from fully staged world premieres to theatrical workshops and play readings. In the past, they’ve included scripted and devised work, dance, clown, and more. Click here to register.

Twilight Theater’s 7^th Annual Awards Gala on Jan. 17 at 7 p.m.

Twilight Theater’s seventh annual Light Up the Stars awards gala will celebrate the audience’s choices for the “best and brightest” of the company’s 2024 season, including categories for acting, set design, lights, sound, costumes, director, ensemble and play. Light snacks will be available, and glasses of wine and ale will be available to buy. Seating is limited to 100, and you can RSVP via Twilight’s Facebook page. Cocktail dress encouraged, but not required.

Application deadline for The Hatchery, a theater development festival, is Jan. 31.

The Hatchery is a theater development festival produced by Portland’s Many Hats Collaboration, and features a weeklong, paid performance residency program and new play festival supporting works where music and movement are central to the story.

Two workshop performances will be produced, including one that’s a playwright commission, programmed by Many Hats, and one that’s sourced from the community and chosen from the applications. The Hatchery offers production support between April and August before the public performance. Last year’s selected project was created by Sofia Marks and Isabel McTighe, a piece in Spanish and English called La Mariposa.

Jessica Wallenfels, the festival’s artistic director, is an artist-educator whose choreography, Bobby Bermea wrote in ArtsWatch, “focuses less on creating beautiful shapes with athletic bodies and more on revealing the emotional truths of her characters.” Wallenfels aims to use The Hatchery to give other artists a chance to make their own risk-taking work. The deadline to apply for this year’s festival is Jan. 31. Click here for more information.

Milagro Theatre launches its arts education program, Pluma a Escena (Pen to Scene)

With its new arts education program, which is already under way, Milagro Theatre hopes to use Pluma a Escena as a way to give students a pathway to creative careers. So far, the company has partnered with Roosevelt High School, where its artists worked with students in AP Spanish and Spanish As a Native Language classes. Students also had a chance to perform at Milagro’s 2024 Posada last month.

In the spring, the company will collaborate with Woodburn High School’s theater program to help students create a 10-minute short play as part of Milagro’s Season 41: Celebrate the Changemakers! The company will also offer a three-week summer camp, which will culminate with a performance that will be open to the public.

A live-recorded London performance of “Vanya” starring Andrew Scott will be screened at Newport Performing Arts Center on Jan. 22

Oregon Coast Council for the Arts (OCCA) is presenting National Theatre’s live-recorded London production of Vanya on screen on Wednesday, Jan. 22, at 7 p.m. in the Alice Silverman Theatre at Newport Performing Arts Center.

Andrew Scott (Fleabag, Sherlock, Spectre) brings multiple characters to life in Simon Stephens’ (The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time) one-man adaptation of Anton Chekhov’s  masterpiece about disappointed dreams, Uncle Vanya. Besides Vanya, Scott plays the retired professor Alexander and his daughter Sonia, Alexander’s second wife Helena, Vanya’s widowed mother Maureen, his romantic rival Michael, and more.

For tickets for Vanya or other screenings, check here or call 541-265-2787 or visit the Newport Performing Arts Center box office at 777 W. Olive Street.