The iconic play, “A Streetcar Named Desire” comes to life at the Waddell Theater through thefinal weekend of February, presented by Taking Flight Theatre Company. The demanding, emotional play fares well on the stage, breathing an honest, raw air into the gritty play set in the 1940s.

“A Streetcar Named Desire” follows Blanche DuBois, a fading southern beauty, who comes for an extended stay with her sister Stella and Stella’s husband Stanley Kowalski. Blanche works to keep hidden her real reasons for visiting, and her secrecy begins to wreak havoc on Stella and Stanley’s relationship, as Stella often finds herself defending her sister to her husband. As Blanche tries to find her place into the industrial, blue collar New Orleans, her world as she knows it begins to crumble.