For more information, visit Lisa's resident artist page: STANLEY (2006) - Lisa and Todd D'Amour
The New York Times:
"Lisa and Todd D’Amour have reconsidered A Streetcar Named Desire... What if Stanley actually longed for Blanche (“She turned my house absolutely upside down. ... It was fantastic.”) and finally went in search of her? This is the deliciously thought-provoking premise of Stanley (2006) ... Mr. D’Amour’s message is about wanting and grabbing and getting. To convey it he plays both ends of the spectrum, from the surprisingly analytic to the refreshingly silly."
Show Business Weekly:
"Arguably the most accomplished theatrical event of the Off-Broadway season... Stanley (2006) is a nonstop thrill-ride on one man’s tragic emotional rollercoaster... the show is a chilling reminder that theater is, in fact, a live event. Less chilling is the reminder of how wildly ambitious and successfully experimental a show can be... If Stanley (2006) isn’t a tour-de-force, I don’t know what is."
Flavorpill:
"Todd D'Amour evokes not only Stanley Kowalski, but also the spirit of the late Marlon Brando in this latest collaboration with sister Lisa D'Amour, a multimedia work based on the character from A Streetcar Named Desire. Their offering is simply called Stanley (2006), but the depth of the material goes beyond the deceptively elementary title. D'Amour's physical prowess consumes the stage as his Stanley seeks to define his territory and searches for a final showdown with Blanche. Live camerawork focuses on the performer's nuanced portrayal of the troubled character, as he escapes Tennessee Williams' world to find his own true destiny."
Off Off Online:
"In the capable hands of co-creators Lisa D'Amour (text and direction) and Todd D'Amour (performer), multiplicity becomes a virtue... Todd D'Amour delivers a performance of driving physicality, and his dangerously brooding masculinity is crucial to the role and precisely conveyed... live video feed provides a visual intimacy with the performer's body and facial expressions. The audience's attention is drawn to the larger-than-life video images, only to find it pulled back, again and again, to D'Amour's often literally in-your-face performance... an entertaining and intelligent work of theater."
Lighting & Sound America:
"Stanley (2006) offers us an exciting actor, Todd D'Amour... this young actor has stage presence and technique to spare. His Stanley is a constantly morphing character-at times he's a totally original creation, at other times he's a wicked parody of Marlon Brando mannerisms... his willingness to take physical risks, flinging himself on the floor and making long leaps into the air, constitutes a show in itself."
Washington Square News:
"Todd d’Amour provides dramatic insight into a world of obsession and yearning. His words are persuasive and realistic. The audience seems to feel his emotions lingering in the air like the heavy perfume of Blanche that drives Kowalski... An entrancing character analysis, showing the raw emotion and humanity in a man enclosed by desire."
Gay City News:
"D'Amour's in-your-face delivery is electrifying... Toward play's end, perhaps to evoke Brando's much-imitated Method acting techniques, Stanley begged three audience members (including me) to each douse him with a bucket of water. We got ourselves wet in the process, but it felt dangerously exhilarating. Far from being watered down, the brooding, sexy beast seemed to burn even hotter."
NYTheatre.com:
"Todd D'Amour... has sensitivity, charisma, intensity, authoritative command of his body and voice, a sense of humor, and fearless unpredictability -- Mr. D'Amour's strong technique and empathetic rapport with the audience keep him grounded and give him a convincing fullness."
above photo: Carl Skutsch