NYC Birthday Trip (Part V -- A Streetcar Named Desire)

I have actually been a little anxious to post this because accurately describing what this night was like is a monumental task, and I probably won't do it the justice it deserves.

Most of you probably didn't know this, but I am a big fan of The X-Files.

Yes, that was sarcasm.

The reason I am so obsessed with the show is the two actors who play the leads are phenomenal. Their amazing talent fills thousands of web pages and blogs and social media sites, but THIS ONE is about my once in a lifetime chance to see one of them perform the thing they are best at, in person.

When my friends told me back in January that there was a possibility of an extra ticket to see Gillian Anderson as Blanche DuBois in a production of A Streetcar Named Desire in Brooklyn, I was freaking out!!!!  I mean, going to NYC, bucket list item since I was in high school, and seeing Gillian Anderson acting live, another bucket list item since I was in high school........I knew I had to find a way to make this happen.

Fast forward four months to me sitting in an Uber ride with Kabs and Max through south Williamsburg towards Dumbo. SURREAL.

GRATUITOUS "STREETCAR POSTER IN FRONT OF BROOKLYN BRIDGE" PICS

Me and Kabs - Bottom photo courtesy of Rebecca Kabat :)

Then, the three of us moved inside to find the housemates and our other friends that we knew would be at the play that night. We arrived about 45 minutes early and the line to pick up Will Call tickets was crazy long...and then we saw Jos and Roi near the front!!!!! After many awesome hugs were exchanged on finally meeting these people we had been good friends with for years, we got to cut in line :)

SELFIES A DECADE IN THE MAKING!

(like literally before selfies were even a thing lol)

Me, Kabs, and Jos! I <3 this so much!
Bottom Photo Courtesy of Rebecca Kabat

And then I got my ticket and autographed program...

Our other friends found us and we all started gushing over what we were about to see, talking about all that we had heard from our friends who had seen it already about what to expect. And, of course, we had to document the moment :)

QUITE A FUN GROUP

Sara, Me, Roileigh, Lindsay, Joselyn, & Kabs down in front!
Photo courtesy of Rebecca Kabat

 

Oh, and I couldn't leave out our experience in the restrooms attempting to use the soap dispensers that were either a very cruel joke or a very poor bit of engineering. It was worth mentioning ;) Also, Jos totally tried to convince me to steal a roll of toilet paper because I would need it for Gillian's portrayal of Blanche LOL She wasn't wrong, but I didn't cave in to thievery ;)

We finally made our way inside and I sat with Sofie and Max in our row. And then I turned around and saw the stage where Gillian-freaking-Anderson would be doing what she does better than like 99% of the human population, to be honest.

OMG.

At this point I turned off my phone and let myself enjoy the show.

It did NOT disappoint.

THE FIRST TIME YOU SEE HER

Photo from The Guardian.com

BEING BLANCHE

Photo from EW.com

I have never seen a professional theatre production in person because I don't enjoy plays and the idea of paying money to see one is not something I found pleasant. Laugh if you will, but I have just never been able to get past the overacting and the amount of "suspension of disbelief" that is involved when watching one. 

So for THIS to be my first...well, I think I have been ruined on any production in the future.

A few things to note: a) this play is set in the south, with Gillian using a Mississippi accent, b) a good part of my family is from MS and I know the accent well, c) it really ruins things for me when people cannot do a proper accent, especially actors who I am so used to hearing a certain way --think how weird it would be to hear Matthew McConaughey doing a British accent.

Well, Gillian comes out a few minutes into the production (see above sunglasses photo marking her entrance), and IMMEDIATELY she is Blanche. Not Scully. Not Gillian. Not any other character I'd ever seen her portray. 

SHE WAS BLANCHE DUBOIS. 

And then she spoke.

I literally had tears in my eyes during her first scene because I felt like I had been transported to my cousins' tiny little town of Cruger, Mississippi and was listening to one of them speak. She was that amazing. Her mannerisms, her casual slang, and everything was just...THIS. This was why I had been willing to travel across the country, be away from my family, miss work, and fork over the money I had to witness a play in Brooklyn. 

Everything she did had me mesmerized...including running off the stage in 4" heels which was incredible because it was about a foot or more off the ground (since it was on a platform that allowed it to spin). It definitely left an impression! 

SIDENOTE: About those heels. I, too, wore 4" heels that night. And they hurt so bad to walk in that I took them off about 15 minutes into the show and put on the brand new flip flops that my ultra-prepared self thought to bring. Jessica and I  both had feet that were DYING. Pics to come LOL.

The only other thing I'm going to say about it is this: When it was over, and Blanche was walked around the stage by the characters taking her "off to an institution", the lights went out for a brief second for her to get back on the stage for a curtain call. They came back on and Blanche stood there, still looking broken, and then I watched (in complete and utter fascination) as she took a deep breath, let it out, and suddenly I was looking at Gillian Anderson again. And all I could think was:

WHAT JUST HAPPENED?

I don't even know how to describe it, except everything, from the way she held her shoulders, to the way she smiled, to the way she touched her hair was totally different than it had been five seconds before. I had goosebumps.

So, was it worth it? Um....Yes!

Oh, and we still had a charity event to attend ;)

To be continued in part 6...