A Streetcar Named Desire heads to the Tobin Center on Tuesday, but this production is different. For one thing, it’s not a southern take on the classic.
“I’m Christopher Hampton, the Artistic Director of the Scottish Ballet.”
Another important distinction: it’s not a play, but a ballet.
“We are presenting the famous Tennessee Williams play as a dance production.”
I asked “Now, the parameters of a Tennessee Williams play and those of ballet seem really very much in different ball parks to me. Tell me why I’m wrong about that.”
"They are in quite different ball parks. However, really what dance is often able to do is to unlock parts of well-known stories. It’s really timeless, this story. And I think many people can identify with the very extreme emotions that are presented.”
A Ballet’s got to have music, so they composed their own.
“It gives a fantastic atmosphere. You can almost, it sounds strange, but you can hear the heat. You can hear the almost claustrophobic humidity around the story. I think it really helps to convey the narrative very clearly. It’s a fantastic performance that’s going to be at the Tobin.”
We've more on the Tobin performance here.
