By James Bean
For the Daily Titan

Stanley, played by Brian Rickel, and Blanche, portrayed by Bethany Mangum, have a conversation in Tennessee Williams’ “A Streetcar Named Desire” in the Young Theatre. Photo by Chad Uemura.

I never really liked reading “A Streetcar Named Desire;” I was forced to read it in high school, in college and again when I auditioned for the role of Mitch in a community theater version of the play.
This brings me to a total of three times I have read “Streetcar.” I saw the film adaptation as a freshman in college and still didn’t develop an interest in the story.

However, Cal State Fullerton’s production of “Streetcar” has made me fall in love with the play. It is possibly the best show of the season so far.

The play follows Blanche DuBois, an aging Southern belle, as she falls into poverty and moves in with her sister, Stella, in New Orleans. Although Stella welcomes her sister with open arms, her husband Stanley is not as gracious. As rifts form between the characters, the plot grows stronger and stronger before eventually reaching a fiery climax.

The story is absolutely unbelievable. Every word went toward strengthening the story, which was already quite strong. Although some may criticize its length, I found every moment to be as dramatic and fresh as the last. Time just zoomed by for me; every acidic stare and tiny flirt held my attention.
Each scene was incredibly well-crafted, and none of Tennessee Williams’ beautiful prose was wasted. The cast understood the brilliantly-painted picture that the story tells, and the director was smart enough to find the humanity within the characters.

As each scene progressed, I found that it was hard to evaluate the actors’ performances. Each character was well-defined and multi-dimensional, and I began to see the characters instead of the actors.

Instead of worrying about how the actor who played Stanley was able to produce such a great performance, I worried about Stanley’s relationship with Stella. This was a crucial part of the success of “A Streetcar Named Desire.” Each character was complex and complete enough to be given their own play.

Director Kari Hayter, teamed with scenic designer Fred Kinney, produced a all-encompassing experience for the audience. My seat, AA 27 Right, was right in front of the Kowalski dinner table and comes highly recommended.

Speaking of character immersion, Bethany Mangum fully transformed herself into the aging beauty Blanche DuBois. The script requires her character to be eccentric enough to border on lunacy, and she gave a raw performance that I did not disbelieve for a moment.

Molly Stilliens offered a magnificent performance as Stella, delivering a sweet yet fiery character who could be anyone’s older sister.

Finally, Brian Rickel gave his Stanley an almost-lovable vigor despite his beastly actions.

Too many actors portray Stanley as a monster, but Rickel successfully explored the human animal in Stanley. The audience was on their feet when the actors appeared onstage for their curtain call.

This performance of “A Streetcar Named Desire” is a trim, lovely and raw story that will keep you talking for hours afterward.

The story can’t be beat; the cast is excellent and the re-imagining of the show was polished to a high shine by Hayter.

“A Streetcar Named Desire” will run for the next two weeks in the Young Theatre on campus. General admission is $10 and $9 for students. Tickets are available in the box office located by the Nutwood Parking Structure or online at Tickets.com.