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  • Ruth Wilson

    22 Jul 2009

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    It is an odd sensation, chatting to Ruth Wilson; part admiration, part jealousy, part self-loathing and part-dumbfoundedness, writes Matthew Amer. Read more


A Streetcar Named Desire

Showing at:Donmar Warehouse

Box Office:0870 060 6624

Download (pdf format): Seating plan

Age:General

Genre:Play

Sub Genre:Play-Drama

"I don't want realism, I want magic"

In Tennessee Williams's A Streetcar Named Desire, fading southern belle Blanche DuBois unexpectedly appears at her sister's home in the stifling world of downtown New Orleans. With delusions of grandeur, Blanche stands in stark contrast to her new surroundings and her brother-in-law Stanley. His determination to reveal her secrets leads her to withdraw ever further away from reality, into a world of illusions. 

A Streetcar Named Desire defined Williams's reputation as one of the greatest American playwrights and won him a Pulitzer Prize. The play has been performed numerous times on stages both sides of the Atlantic, with the role of Blanche viewed as a defining one for any actress. The play was also made into an iconic film starring Marlon Brando as Stanley and Vivien Leigh as Blanche. 

Weisz returns to the Donmar Warehouse to play Blanche. The British actress previously appeared there in Suddenly Last Summer and Design For Living. She is best known, however, for her screen work in major films Definitely Maybe, The Constant Gardener, Runaway Jury, About A Boy, The Mummy, Enemy At The Gates and Stealing Beauty.

Elliot Cowan, who appeared in the Donmar's hugely successful production of Frost/Nixon, plays Stanley. 

They are directed in A Streetcar Named Desire by Rob Ashford, who received critical acclaim for his first directorial effort, Parade, at the Donmar Warehouse in 2007. This is the first non-musical outing for the choreographer-turned-director. 

For more about A Streetcar Named Desire at the Donmar Warehouse, read the First Night Feature or the Big Interview with Ruth Wilson.

Performance Details

  • previews from: 23 Jul 2009
  • opening night: 28 Jul 2009
  • closing: 03 Oct 2009

show times: Mon-Sat 19:30, Thu & Sat 14:30

ticket prices: £13-£29

duration: 3h

cast: Rachel Weisz, Jack Ashton, Elliot Cowan, Barnaby Kay, Ruth Wilson, Daniela Nardini, Charles Daish, Judy Hepburn, Gary Milner, Luke Rutherford

author: Tennessee Williams

director: Rob Ashford

sound: Adam Cork

lighting designer: Neil Austin

designer: Christopher Oram

producer: Donmar Warehouse

map: View Map

Access Enabled Map (pdf format):
View The Donmar Warehouse Access Enabled Map

address: Earlham Street, London, United Kingdom, WC2H 9LX

nearest tube: Covent Garden (275m)

nearest bus: 14, 19, 24, 29, 38, 176

parking: Westminter City Council car park at Cambridge Circus. NCP at Drury Lane and Upper St Martin's Lane. Meters in Earlham Street and Mercer Street. 1 Disabled parking bay outside theatre.

air conditioned: Yes

Assisted Performance Booking Information

Access Booking:Tel: 0871 297 5477

Accessible Facilities Venue Information

discounts: Discounts available for disabled theatregoers and their companions.

limited mobility: Aisle seats have the most legroom, except row A in the Stalls. C9 and C30 in the Stalls have unlimited legroom.

access description: A portable ramp can be placed over the 15cm step into entrance on Earlham Street. Box office counter is straight ahead from the Earlham Street entrance. Lift up to all floors of the auditorium, to the right of the box office counter. All staircases have handrails on both sides and steps are highlighted. Stalls up 26 steps from the foyer and have one step between rows. Circle up 48 steps from the foyer, with one step between rows. The Stalls is level, the Circle is raked.

hearing impaired: Infra-red system with 8 headsets. Headsets can be collected from the Box Office. Returnable deposit of credit card or driving licence required. Portable induction loop at the Box Office.

guide dogs policy: Guide dogs are allowed in the auditorium, alternatively staff are happy to dog-sit. The theatre can accommodate 4 guide dogs per performance.

wheelchairs: Slight slope up from the lift to the back of the Stalls. 1 space for a wheelchair user in the Stalls. Up to 4 wheelchair transfer seats available. Wheelchair/Scooters are stored beside the Box Office.

toilets: Women’s and men’s off the Circle bar, off the foyer and 4 steps up from the Stalls.

disabled toilets: Adapted toilet off Circle bar.

bars: 2 licensed bars. No steps to both the Stalls and the Circle bars. Both have fixed seating and limited space. Drinks may be taken into the auditorium in plastic cups, or brought to customers.

Rachel Weisz and Ruth Wilson in A Streetcar Named Desire, playing at the Donmar Warehouse (photo: Johan Persson)

Rachel Weisz and Ruth Wilson in A Streetcar Named Desire, playing at the Donmar Warehouse

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