Broadway

Photo: Sarah Krulwich/New York Times
Cate Blanchett and Joel Edgerton star in "A Streetcar Named Desire," directed by Liv Ullman.

Ben Brantley:

This Blanche is no passive victim. She knows herself painfully well, which makes her both funnier and sadder than most Blanches. Always, though, we are aware of her knowing that standing up and staying sane are merely provisional; she could topple over at any second. That delicate balance assumes its most wrenching form in her climactic face-off with Stanley, as Blanche tries to defy not only her predatory brother-in-law but also the drunkenness that keeps pulling her to the floor. Gravity is not on her side.