A Streetcar Named Desire production announces West End extension after Paul Mescal’s Oscar nomination
Rebecca Frecknall’s production of A Streetcar Named Desire will move to the West End for six more weeks, its producers announced, after its star Paul Mesca lreceived an Oscar nomination on Tuesday (24 January).
Mescal plays the irascible Stanley Kowalski in Frecknall’s intense Tennessee Williams revival, which is soon to complete its seven-week run at the Almeida Theatre in North London on 4 February.
From 20 March to 29 April, the production will move to the West End’s Phoenix Theatre.
“I’m incredibly excited that Streetcar is being transferred to the West End with this formidable cast and creative team, led by the exceptionally talented Rebecca Frecknall,” Mescal said in a statement.
“It’s my favourite play and it’s wonderful to be able to share it with a wider audience”.
Frecknall added: “I'm thrilled we will have the opportunity to share this production with a wider audience. It's a testament to this fantastic company and incredible play. It's been moving to see how audiences have responded to our work and I'm excited to see how the piece will evolve in the West End.”
Olivier Award winner Patsy Ferran (Summer & Smoke), Anjana Vasan (We Are Lady Parts) andDwane Walcott (One Night in Miami, Our Girl) will also reprise their roles of Blanche, Stella and Harold “Mitch” Mitchell, respectively.
In her four-star review for The Independent, Jessie Thompson said Mescal’s Stanley “radiates with rage, wearing his psychopathy on his sleeve, with a menacing sexuality that could stop traffic”.
“Connell’s silver chain lies in tatters,” she wrote, alluding to Mescal’s breakout role (and jewellery) in 2020’s TV adaptation of Sally Rooney’s Normal People. “It’s entrancing to watch.”
Mescal has been nominated for a Best Actor Oscar for his role in Charlotte Wells’s debut drama, Aftersun, in which the actor plays a young father grappling with his mental health while on holiday with his daughter.
Mescal called the nomination an “insane honour” in a statement.
Find the full list of Oscar 2023 nominations here – and find this year’s biggest snubs and surprises here.
He will face fellow first-time nominees Austin Butler (Elvis), Colin Farrell (The Banshees of Inisherin), Brendan Fraser (The Whale) and Bill Nighy (Living) for the award.
Tickets for A Streetcar Named Desire at the Phoenix Theatre go on sale 1 February and will range from £15 to £125.
