NewsAboutProductionsPressContactAmerican director Ethan McSweeny subtly rebalances its characterisations and shifting sympathies: instead of extreme polarisation between the lead characters of Stanley Kowalski, his pregnant wife, Stella, and her visiting sister, Blanche DuBois, we are shown a more complex and affecting picture.Helen Meany, The Guardian
It's easy to make the mistake that Blanche is nothing but a pathetic, man-eating, manipulative, soulless siren, yet despite all that, and more — her childish horror of ageing, and her ready acknowledgment that more often than not, she plays fast and loose with the truth — the depth of her decline is pure abjection, and is correctly put centre stage in this production, beautifully orchestrated by director Ethan McSweeny. 'Orchestrated' because here, Williams' dangerous text is approached as a symphony…Susan Conley, Irish Theatre Magazine
That first silence is a revelation: the mark of a director who knows how to pace the beats of a play, and since we are in for the long haul – three hours and a bit – we are, thankfully, in calm, confident, creative hands. This idea of playing on the musicality of the text, of emphasising its rhythms and movements, is further extrapolated through the use of live songs performed by vocalist Esosa Ighodaro and Conor Sheil on clarinet. Nominally employed to cover what could have been pace-destroying scene changes, the music enlivens and underscores the atmosphere. We are in a very specific place…comprised of the mournfully hopeful elegies of gospel and soul.Susan Conley, Irish Theatre Magazine
Ethan McSweeny's gripping production at The Gate Theatre, however, is a model of effective restraint.Sara Keating, Irish Times
What is really at stake in McSweeny's production is not just desire but two different ways of seeing the world, as Blanche's idealism is gradually eroded by Stanley's realism....there isn't a moment when it is less than compelling. In this fine production 'an hour isn't just an hour, but a little piece of eternity'.Sara Keating, Irish Times
No detail is too small in this excellent production directed by Ethan McSweeny, making his directorial debut at The Gate, and what a way to begin…You will be hard pressed to find a piece of theatre as good as this anywhere, anyplace.Alan, Red Curtain Review
To use that old cliche, if you only see one play this year, make sure it's this one. You will not be disappointed, as you realize that this is the stuff of theatrical excellence. You will want to see it again. I do.Alan, Red Curtain Review
American director Ethan McSweeny, whose début at The Gate the play is, manages to beautifully orchestrate the classic play without losing any of its depth and fascination. A Streetcar Named Desire is without a doubt one of the highlights, if not the most spectacular play, of this year's theatre season in Dublin. Ethan McSweeny's reputation as one of theatre's brightest stars is founded as he created a must-see play.Claire Fastner, The Journalist
The Gate production is intriguing chiefly for the way in which Walker and Williams complicate the received images and soften the contrasts. The drama they create is not one of stark opposites but one of intertwined and interdependent personalities.Fintan O'Toole, Irish Times
Indeed, one of the many admirable things about Ethan McSweeny's excellent current production at The Gate Theatre in Dublin is the intelligent manner in which Garrett Lombard as Stanley stays out of the way. He is, as Stanley must be, a powerful physical presence and a domineering bully. But his performance sets its own proper limits. Lombard does not seek to occupy too much psychological or emotional space. Stanley is what he is: an almost parodic expression of primitive maleness.Fintan O'Toole, Irish Times
Sets - Lee Savage
Lights - Paul Keogan
Costumes - Joan O'Clery
Sound - Dennis Clohessy
Voice Coach - Cathal Quinn