This year’s Te Ahurei Toi o Tāmaki Auckland Arts Festival 2025 has brought together some truly incredible shows, and the highlight for us has far and away been Scottish Ballet’s fiery and passionate adaptation of Tennessee Williams’ classic and celebrated drama A Streetcar Named Desire, which is brought to life in a bold new vision for audiences, that through performance and score captures a truly unique interpretation of this classic work.
Often regarded as one of the finest American plays of the 20th Century and celebrated as Tennessee Williams’ most cherished and personal work, A Streetcar Named Desire was an instant sensation when it first debuted on Broadway in 1948 with its formative cast of Jessica Tandy, Marlon Brando and Kim Hunter, where it’s raw story would cause a sensation with audiences, and the then 1951 film of the same name would launch Brando into a superstar. Many interpretations and revivals have followed since, the latest featuring prominent rising star Paul Mescal. And now audiences at this year’s Auckland Arts Festival have the chance to see it in a bold new light thanks to Scottish Ballet, the pre-eminent Ballet of Scotland, one of the world’s leading dance companies, who have taken Williams’ work and stripped it bare for a haunting, gothic and ravishing watch of heat and impulse. And the experience of this show on stage is an utter marvel!
Led by artistic director Christopher Hampson, Scottish Ballet’s rendition of A Streetcar Named Desire strips away William’s original dialogue, instead interpreting this narrative entirely through the art of dance and music, which allows the very spirit of the play to be captured and the audience to be wowed. Through the combination of Principle and Soloist dancers, Scottish Ballet has done something very different in adapting A Streetcar Named Desire, and the performers under Hampson’s direction dive deeper into the psychological edges of the play and the subtext that has only been hinted at in previous adaptations. The dancers speak through their performance, and in working in unison with the grand musical power of the Auckland Philharmonic, they deliver a performance that wrests every kind of emotion out of the audience.
Scottish Ballet boasts an impressive lineup of talent for their unique rendition of A Streetcar Named Desire. Both the principal and soloist dancers fully commit to this captivating production. Roseanna Leney, in the role of Blanche, delves into one of the drama’s most intriguing characters, offering audiences insight into her youth and the misunderstandings that lead to a love gone wrong, ultimately taking her down a difficult and fragile path. Leney’s performance is visually expressive, skillfully conveying Blanche’s tumultuous emotions through her physicality and grace. Her portrayal captures the emotional intensity and fantasy that define Blanche as a character, creating an absorbing experience for the audience.
Evan Loudon portrays Stanley with an animalistic power reminiscent of Marlon Brando, embodying a brutally captivating masculine presence. His portrayal is dangerously powerful, adding an edge to the overall performance. Jessica Fyfe brings elegance to the role of Stella, portraying a woman caught between her sister and her husband in a performance that is utterly captivating.
This performance of A Streetcar Named Desire is an arresting and hypnotic experience whipped up by burning passion, erotic sex appeal and dark fantasies of a mind taken to the edge. Hampson’s team crafted a stage presence driven by light and atmosphere, and the thumping music of the Big Easy delivered by the Auckland Philharmonic adds to the atmosphere, tension and pace of the production. This is a raw and visceral experience in every sense of the word, fed by the beastly force of love, desire and sex, and no more is this experienced at the end of Act One and the erotic embrace of Stanley and Stella in the expression of inflamed passion that will set your heart racing. The immediacy of the performance before you will engage all of your senses and prove why the stage delivers the ultimate expression of drama for audiences.
A Streetcar Named Desire, as delivered by Scottish Ballet, is an incredible expression of one of the world’s greatest dramas, and it is a must-watch at this year’s Te Ahurei Toi o Tāmaki Auckland Arts Festival 2025. It is unflinchingly powerful, erotic and savage in its presentation of its story, and the power and grace of its performance will stay with you long after you witness it.
Watch A Streetcar Named Desire at Te Ahurei Toi o Tāmaki Auckland Arts Festival 2025. Learn more here.
Image: Te Ahurei Toi o Tāmaki Auckland Arts Festival 2025
