Scottish Ballet’s A Streetcar Named Desire isn’t a ballet like those depicting fairytales.
There are no glass slippers or Sugar Plum Fairies or happy endings, instead there is darkness and grit.
It is beautiful, but hauntingly so.
The mood in Eden Court for opening night was of excitement, which continued as the opening scenes depicted Blanche DuBois and her husband enjoying newlywed bliss.
Within minutes though, the former’s perfect life falls to pieces.
This is something that continued throughout the ballet, moments of happiness – of sisters reuniting, a new baby, a nostalgic song on the radio – giving way to those more harrowing.
Dynamic choreography
Based on Tennessee Williams’s classic play, Scottish Ballet’s production of A Streetcar Named Desire tells the story of Blanche, who moves into her sister Stella’s apartment in New Orleans.
Blanche’s not so innocent past soon catches up with her, and this combined with her sister’s abusive husband sends her spiralling into madness.
The ballet’s strengths lie in how dynamic it is from start to finish, with romantic duets melting into sharp full-company numbers.
Annabelle Lopez Ochoa’s choreography is strong in its classical ballet and more contemporary elements that interchange seamlessly throughout the production.
Each and every member of the company has a role to play not only as a dancer but as an actor, juggling heavy emotions with technical routines.
Unreachable dreams
The set designed by Nicola Turner for A Streetcar Named Desire is genius, with building blocks making up the large DuBois house at the beginning, then quite literally falling to the ground around Blanche.
The fallen blocks remain on stage for the entirety of the ballet, with dancers moving them to create beds, trains and even a walkway for the ghost of Blanche’s dead husband.
Lightbulbs hung from the ceiling are bright city lights at points and unreachable dreams at others, and spotlights are used to highlight Blanche’s isolation.
There are multiple costume changes, though they all feel natural and in line with the style of 1940s New Orleans. Flowing skirts twirl as dancers do and colours darken and lighten with the mood of each scene.
Peter Salem knows exactly how to play with the audience with his score. He builds and maintains tension in the right places and foreshadows when danger is near.
Unlike in classical ballets, dancers aren’t silent throughout. They cheer in delight in a scene at the bowling alley and scream in fights fuelled by drunken rage.
Silence also speaks volumes, as the heavy breathing of dancers on stage can be heard in the most chilling of scenes.
Difficult themes
The ballet doesn’t only touch on, but is engulfed by themes you won’t find in many others, from addiction and suicide to raw depictions of abuse and rape.
Scottish Ballet recommend it isn’t viewed by anyone under the age of 15 and this isn’t something that should be taken lightly, with some scenes hard to watch.
Roseanna Leney’s Blanche is a masterclass in not only dance but in performance. One of the reasons why the story’s themes hit the audience so hard is the fact she evidently feels them to her core and portrays with every inch of her body.
The audience truly journeys with her as she unravels until she meets her fate in the ballet’s closing scene.
Scottish Ballet’s A Streetcar Named Desire is not for the faint hearted.
However, though complex and challenging at times, it is a perfect example of what modern ballet should be.
A Streetcar Named Desire is on at Eden Court on Saturday at 7.30pm, then will move to His Majesty’s Theatre in Aberdeen on April 27-29.
The ballet will also tour in Kirkwall and Stornoway in June.
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