I've seen a variety of stagings of Tennessee Williams' "A Streetcar Named Desire" over the years, and I don't recall any of them eliciting belly laughs from the audience. That changed this past Friday, the opening night of Contemporary Theatre of Dallas' production of the 1947 Pulitzer prize-winning classic.

It's not a funny play, not a drama laced with earthy comic scenes, not a melodrama, not a farce. Yet many audience members laughed heartily throughout Act One because it seemed to be directed overall to emphasize comic, melodramatic moments. As the production unfolded, I realized I had real problems with many directorial elements. It's a disconcerting performance.

Every actor in this production has a resume to justify his or her appearance in it. I've reviewed a number of these actors before, always appreciating their skills and talents. I haven't seen a play so curiously cast, or misdirected, in a long time.

Starting with the lead characters Blanche and Stanley, together they create none of the smoldering tension integral to developing the arc of this play until it explodes with a violent act near the end. Without this tension and its arc, there is no play.