Vieux Carré

Grab the chance to see a Tennessee Williams play with fresh eyes, with this wonderful show at 45 Downstairs by Itch Productions. Meticulously directed by Alice Bishop, who famously visited New Orleans as part of her research for the play (the city still has its mojo according to her, its soul not washed away by Katrina after all), Vieux Carré is the first Australian production of this little known work and a must-see for theatre lovers who miss the extensiveness of story and focus on language so often lacking in modern drama.

The story of a young Williams's experiences in a decaying boarding house, Vieux Carré focuses on character and relationships. Bishop's vision here is to do with connection within distance, highlighting the vulnerability within each character's cynical nature. The personalities are loving despite themselves struggling in loneliness to overcome their respective situations. There is something quite literal about Bishop's take on the play, which straddles modernity and period well, giving it a contemporary feel and grounding its universal themes. Her lightness of touch effectively creates piquance, a nice departure from the puritan misery usually underscoring productions of Williams's work. The original sound set creates a palpable sense of the world outside as both menacing and seductive. Without cliché, the atmosphere on stage is tangible. You can smell that gumbo! Lovely, lovely use of the 45 Downstairs space. Performances are terrific; Kelly Nash's Mrs Wire a standout. Thomas Blackburne holds the story in an understated masterful turn as 'the writer'.

Fortyfivedownstairs until Sunday 3 February