Desire to stage a classic

TENNESSEE Williams' A Streetcar Named Desire is one of the most critically-acclaimed plays of the 20th century.

A true classic, it has made its way to the big screen, television, the ballet and even the operatic stage, but is at its very best in its purest form, as a stage play.

Derby's Fourblokes Productions bring it to the Guildhall this week.

Set in the French Quarter of New Orleans during the restless years following the Second World War, it tells the story of Blanche DuBois, a neurotic woman on a desperate prowl for some place in the world to call her own.

After being exiled from her hometown for seducing a 17-year-old boy at the school where she taught English, Blanche explains her unexpected appearance on her sister's doorstep as nervous exhaustion. This, she claims, is the result of a series of financial calamities which have recently claimed the family plantation, Belle Reve.

Her sister's suspicious husband, Stanley, points out that "under Louisiana's Napoleonic code what belongs to the wife belongs to the husband" and demands to see the bill of sale.

Like much of Williams' works, Streetcar is a memory play. Ghosts from his personal life rise out of New Orleans and are evident in the tale.

It is perhaps Williams' most famous work, due in no small part to Elia Kazan's acclaimed 1951 movie version starring Marlon Brando and Vivien Leigh.

Now, Barry Taylor, Fourblokes Productions' artistic director, tries his hand at this stage classic.

Fourblokes was created in 2005 when founding members Barry, Phil Simcox, Kim Harris and Paul Wilson spotted a niche for professionally-produced shows for smaller casts.

All four had many years of stage experience with amateur drama and musical societies but jointly decided the time was ripe to create something a little bit different.

The group has won regional drama awards for Bouncers in 2006 and for Blue Remembered Hills in 2007.

A STREETCAR NAMED DESIRE

WHERE: Guildhall Theatre, Derby.

WHEN: Tuesday-Friday, November 17-20 (7.30pm nightly with a Weds matinee at 2pm).

TICKETS: £10 (matinee £7.50).

BOX OFFICE: 01332 255800.