Review by Booklist Review
On December 22, 2022, Tennessee Williams' unforgettable character Blanche DuBois turned 75, providing an occasion for Schoenberger (Wayne and Ford, 2017) to create this "biography" of the character. She does this in large part by carefully examining the interpretation of the role by seven actresses: Jessica Tandy, Vivien Leigh, Ann-Margret, Jessica Lange, Patricia Clarkson, Cate Blanchett, and Jemier Jenkins. She arranges the essays chronologically but prefaces them with a moving account of the tragic life of Williams' sister, Rose (the inspiration for Blanche), who--suffering from schizophrenia--spent most of her life institutionalized. Fittingly, Blanche, too, suffers from mental illness, as did Vivien Leigh, whose portrayal Schoenberger regards as definitive. Leigh, like the other actresses, found portraying Blanche to be incredibly taxing and emotionally draining; as Clarkson says, "You never recover from playing this character." Aside from three interviews, Schoenberger has relied largely on secondary sources, but she has chosen them exceedingly well, giving us a full-dress portrait. The author asks, "Does Blanche still matter?" Readers of this fine book will answer with a resounding yes.
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
In this illuminating portrait, Schoenberger (Furious Love), an English professor at William & Mary, explores the cultural significance of Tennessee Williams's bewitching, doomed Blanche DuBois--a "rich, multifaceted" character in A Streetcar Named Desire who evolved "through the psyches of the many actresses who played her." Inspired by Williams's high-strung, mentally ill sister Rose and perhaps his own alter ego, Blanche was born of "the Old South, land of terrors and of dreams," and was emblematic of both the "exaggerated... femininity of the Southern belle" and the darker legacies it masked. Refined, English-born actor Jessica Tandy highlighted Blanche's canny, schoolmarmish qualities when she played her in 1947, though she was sometimes outshone by costar Marlon Brando, while mentally fragile Vivien Leigh's bipolar illness "began to assert itself" as she played the character on the London stage in 1951. Ann-Margret's 1984 TV Blanche was a self-confident steel magnolia, while Jessica Lange's 1992 portrayal brought out the character's tragic, deluded loneliness. Black actor Jemier Jenkins's 2018 depiction was fueled by a fragile, fighting spirit, and spotlighted "how Blanche helps us 'unpack' " different ideas of feminism: Blanche is "a mess, but she wants better," Jenkins said. Schoenberger's detailed account is packed with vibrant cultural specifics and trenchant analysis, and she keeps up a brisk pace that will have readers turning pages. Theater and pop culture fans, take note. (Apr.)
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Review by Kirkus Book Review
Retelling the story of Blanche DuBois through the eyes of those who played her. In her latest, Schoenberger, author of Dangerous Muse, offers a fresh examination of an iconic literary character: the troubled hero of Tennessee Williams' A Streetcar Named Desire. Schoenberger views Blanche through the lenses of eight women and their unique perspectives: Williams' sister, Rose ("the great, enduring love of his life--the person he was most haunted and inspired by"), who likely inspired several characters in his works, including Blanche; and actors who took on the role of Blanche, including Jessica Tandy, Vivien Leigh, Ann-Margret, Jessica Lange, Patricia Clarkson, Cate Blanchett, and Jemier Jenkins. By closely examining what each actor brings to the character, Schoenberger shows us an appealingly diverse array of personas of an unforgettable woman. For instance, Leigh portrays a woman dancing on the verge of madness, while Blanchett sees her as clinging to her sanity. Tandy makes her crafty and clever, and Ann-Margret brings out her sexual prowess. According to Clarkson, "I think of her as part hooker and part schoolteacher--I think they go hand in hand! She's not this crystal pure person by any stretch of the imagination, so I didn't play her like a frail moth. Her past becomes her present, and she brings all of that with her to New Orleans." Jenkins, the most recent to play Blanche, is "one of the few African American actresses to undertake the role, with great success, according to many laudatory reviews." Throughout the book, the author invites readers to consider Rose and her direct relationship to Blanche. Ultimately, despite these new takes, she remains an enigma. "Not knowing just how we should judge Blanche makes her even more enigmatic--unforgettable," writes the author. "We are still trying to solve the mystery of Blanche." A delightfully satisfying roundup for both longtime fans of Streetcar and newcomers. Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
