1458800 1947 Tennessee Williams. A Streetcar Named Desire. Signed by Entire Original Cast.

 

WILLIAMS, Tennessee. A Streetcar Named Desire. New York: New Directions, (1947). Octavo, original pink paper boards, original dust jacket. WITH: Original program of the Shubert Theatre, New Haven. Housed in two custom chemise and one clamshell box.  First edition of Williams’ first Pulitzer Prize-winning play, signed by the entire cast of opening night, including Marlon Brando, Kim Hunter, Karl Malden and Jessica Tandy. Accompanied by the original Shubert Theatre program, with mounted ticket stubs for the October 30th premiere performance.  Called by the critics superb, fascinating, and a terrific adventure, Stella, Stanley, and Blanche brought Williams his second New York Drama Critics’ Circle Award - and a Pulitzer Prize. Williams himself considered this his best play (Devlin, 50). The original production of Streetcar was produced by Irene Mayer Selznick and directed by Elia Kazan. It opened on October 30, 1947 at the Shubert in New Haven shortly before moving to the Ethel Barrymore Theatre on December 3rd. Following the premiere performance, Kazan declared that the play had enthused its audience, particularly the theater people who’d come up from New York and the Yale boys who’d got wind of it.  Among Streetcar’s major achievements was the depiction of the psychology of the working class, as opposed to the more familiar social commentary or documentary drama. No one dared approach this new thing without caution. They had just witnessed something unprecedented on the stage, a high-pitched, jagged, alarming - and comical! - drama structure - (Sam Staggs). This extraordinary first edition is signed by every member of the original cast, including Marlon Brando, Kim Hunter, Karl Malden and Jessica Tandy. Crandell A5.3.b. Owner signature.  Interior fine, original paper boards with light shelf-wear, spine slightly sunned. Expert restoration to scarce original dust jacket. An extremely good copy, with splendid associations. Housed in a custom clamshell box.