Scene III of A Streetcar Named Desire has its own title: ‘The Poker Night’. Tennessee Williams’ opening description is typical of his striking stagecraft:
This saturated colour palette is a world away from the tragic Blanche Dubois’ defining white, while the raw bulb bodes ill for one likened in Scene I to a ‘moth’ whose ‘delicate beauty must avoid a strong light’. Williams’ stage directions arc from scene to scene, providing not just guidelines for the director and designer but a kind of omniscient narrative viewpoint. This signature aspect of Williams’ dramaturgy makes Streetcar almost as rewarding to read as to experience in performance.
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