North West Theatre

A Streetcar Named Desire

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Tennessee Williams
16 Sep 10 to 09 Oct 10
Octagon Theatre

Blanche DuBois arrives unexpectedly on the doorstep of her sister, Stella, in a vibrant corner of post-war New Orleans. A fading Southern belle with apparently refined and delicate sensibilities, Blanche immediately clashes with Stella's volatile husband Stanley. But when he starts to delve into his sister-in-law's past, he makes shocking discoveries that set them on a violent collision course.

As the sound of jazz music from the local bars penetrates the night air, Blanche's hold on reality begins to fade, along with her chances of finding the love she craves.

Avenue Q's Foster in Streetcar at Octagon

The Bolton Octagon's forthcoming production of Tennessee Williams' classic A Streetcar Named Desire, sees the return of Kieran Hill (Stanley Kowalski) following his recent success in their The Hired Man. He is to be reunited with his co-star from that production, the previously announced Amy Nuttall (as Stella Kowalski).
What's On Stage

Brief Encounter With … Clare Foster

Clare Foster is perhaps best known for starring in hit West End show Avenue Q. She also starred in ITV1's The Bill as popular character, PC Millie Brown. She is about to tread the boards at The Octagon Theatre in Bolton - in two classics; A Streetcar Named Desire and Love On The Dole.
What's On Stage

...doesn't quite achieve the sweaty intensity... Sometimes the dialogue appears a little hesitant... moments of indulgent emoting... other niggling issues that may be minor details but can jolt you out of the world of the play... a great deal to this production that is very good indeed... Amy Nuttall gives the most natural performance... Her relationship with Clare Foster as Blanche is also convincing as a sister relationship... Foster puts across Blanche's snobbery well, and her constant, nervy chatter and slightly hysterical half-smile indicate something hidden behind her façade... Kieran Hill... as Stanley Kowalski in a portrayal that is perhaps more sympathetic and less constantly angry than may be expected from this character but it does work... too long, but, as a whole, it is very good if not great...
British Theatre Guide
...lengthy and director David Thacker’s emulation of the relaxed atmosphere of New Orleans stretches the running time to the point of physical discomfort. The forced intimacy and sweaty contact that the play needs to be truly successful is lacking... [Kieran] Hill... fails to convey Stanley’s animal magnetism... Thacker compensates by shifting the focus to the two sisters and it pays off as there is a real closeness between [Clare] Foster and [Amy] Nuttall... Foster creates a multi-layered person but does not blend all of the characteristics together successfully...
What's On Stage (Rating: 3/5)
...in Thacker’s slick but overly long (3.5hours) production it is the relationship between sisters Stella & Blanche that is the pivot... Kieran Hill provides a strong performance... in a staggeringly articulate portrayal of a man at the edge of his patience... another welcome and honed performance is given from Huw Higginson... it is the partnership of Clare Foster (Blanche) and Amy Nuttall (Stella) who steal the show... Nuttall is beautifully nuanced... and gives a performance that is worthy of high praise. Whilst Foster provides a carefully thought out balancing act between Blanche’s dignified beauty and manic delusions... Despite its length and several superfluous black outs/scene settings taking place this is a beautifully crafted piece of theatre...
The Public Reviews (Rating: 4/5)
...superbly crafted and deeply moving revival... Clare Foster... is stunningly good in the role of fading, febrile southern belle, Blanche Dubois... the muscular Kieran Hill, gives the performance of his career to date... Amy Nuttall... is a noble, unpretentious and submissive Stella... Ciaran Bagnall’s set... not only reinforces the gritty social realism but suggests the horror on the inside is not necessarily a thing apart... one not to miss.
The Stage
Director David Thacker’s focus on the characters is strangely unambiguous... Clare Foster’s Blanche is not ethereal and whispy but harsh and strident from the word off. Amy Nuttall as her sister Stella is the most sympathetic character on stage... Keiran Hill, although physically imposing, is too clean cut and plain nice to make Stanley into the archetypal he-man... feels closer to the sharply defined realism of Arthur Miller than the woozy and feverish impressionism of Tennessee Williams... Even Carol Sloman’s music struggles to create any atmosphere. In the end it is the sheer power of the story that carries the evening.
UK Theatre Network
...highly charged staging... a touching performance by Amy Nuttall... Blanche's... goading of her bullish brother-in-law Stanley Kowalski (a burly Kieran Hill) is agonising... [Clare] Foster stamps her own jittery imprint on the role of Blanche... Huw Higginson's finely-nuanced beau... A melancholy emptiness echoes around David Thacker's production... providing realism and magic in equal measure.
The Independent (Rating: 4/5)
...stirring production... Clare Foste... is feisty and fragile, sometimes in the same breath, punctuating her lines with a nervous laugh, and plucking the heartstrings with a musician’s precision, in what has to be a draining three-hour performance... Amy Nuttall gives another eye-catching performance... Kieran Hill... drives the decibels from nought to 90 too quickly...when a few smooth gear changes would be better... a genuinely thrilling and moving production of a landmark play.
Lancashire Evening Post