About the Book:
HARD
TO FIND BOOK, only a very limited number of copies are still
available.
A Streetcar Named Desire is one of the most haunting and
most-studied modern plays. It has spawned numerous productions and an
iconic film. This book by Sam Staggs will fascinate fans and
enrich newcomers' understanding of its importance in American theatre
and movie history.
Exhaustively researched and almost flirtatiously opinionated, When
Blanche Met Brando is everything a fan needs to know about the
goings-on behind the ground-breaking New York and London stage
productions of the Tennessee Williams play A Streetcar
Named Desire as well as the classic Marlon Brando and
Vivien Leigh film. Biographer and film historian Sam Staggs brings together
first-hand accounts of the casting (for stage and film), the
rehearsals, and the problems encountered along the way that will
enhance what's known about the play and movie, and help make this
book satisfying as both a pop culture read and as a deeper piece of
thinking about a well-known story. He also chronicles the founding of
the legendary Actors Studio, the school shaped a generation of
Method-based actors and directors.
Subtitled The Scandalous Story of "A Streetcar Named
Desire", you will come away from this book delighted with
the juicy behind-the-scenes stories about cast, director, playwright
and the various productions and will also renew your curiosity about
the connection between the role of Blanche and Vivien Leigh's
insatiable sexual appetite and later descent into breakdown. You may
also – for the first time – question whether the character of
Blanche was actually "mad" or whether her anxiousness was
symptomatic of another disorder.
What people say:
"Opinionated, revealing,
constantly entertaining account of the birth and growth of Tennessee
Williams's most famous play. ...Everything you ever wanted to know about a masterpiece." — Kirkus
Reviews
"A witty, insightful probe of
Tennessee Williams' most famous play in all its variations."
— The Dallas Morning News
"A comprehensive minihistory
of 20th-century American stage and screen and [Staggs] doesn't skimp
on tabloid juice." — Publishers Weekly
"With his infectious devotion
to 'Streetcar,' Staggs surely will motivate many to revist the play
and watch the film." — Los Angeles Times
"...as loquacious and overripe
as Blanche herself and as hard to resist." — Washington
Post
"…a spellbinder…."
— The Hollywood Reporter
"Sam Staggs's
When Blanche Met Brando ... succeeds at
revealing the gulf between myth and fact, between play and
production. By illuminating its twisted path of accidents from
genesis to premiere to 'classic,' Staggs reminds us that Streetcar by
no means was destined to take on the form in which we now know it."
— Theatre Survey
About the Author:
Sam Staggs is the author of four film books, including When
Blanche Met Brando. He has written for a variety of publications,
including Vanity Fair and Architectural Digest. He
lives in Dallas, Texas.
