A Streetcar Named Desire, put on by the Center for the Arts in Murfreesboro, 110 W. College St., proved to be a production worth seeing. With a new take on the old classic, I was afforded the opportunity to see the play in a whole new light.

Elyce Rae Helford played the role of Blanche DuBois, the fading relic from the old south, and she did much justice to the part. Portraying Blanche as a strong woman destined to fall, rather than a broken woman from the start, was very interesting to see. The gradual deterioration of Blanche’s sanity seemed to make sense in the context of the original play by Tennessee Williams.

While every actor in the play gave truly charming performances, it was Helford who stood out among the crowd. She captured the essence, and even the voice and accent, of Viven Leigh, the original actress to play the part in Elia Kazan’s 1951 film production of the work.

Another pleasing quality of the play was the relationship portrayed between Stella (Sherry Sunday) and Stanley Kowalski (Todd Seage). The chemistry was there from the opening of the play, and the true passionate romance between the characters was most definitely displayed. I smiled more than once at their fiery affections.

But the set may well be the most stunning set I have seen in a long time. Everything was there on the medium-sized stage. Nothing was left out or forgotten, and the actors utilized the space perfectly, from bedroom to kitchen to outdoors, I knew exactly where they were every step of the way.

Learn more about the Center Players by visiting www.myspace.com/centerplayers. To reserve tickets in advance call 904-ARTS (2787) or for more details about the center visit www.boroarts.org.

A Streetcar Named Desire is the type of play that everyone should see at least once in their life, and this production by the Center Players is most definitely worth checking out.

Remaining production dates for the play are November 15-17. Be there!