A Better Blanche: Blanchett or Marge?
With the news that Cate Blanchett will be essaying the title role in a stage production of “A Streetcar Named Desire,” there’s a question burning a hole in my brain: who will prove to be a better Blanche — the fair Cate or the inimitable Marge Simpson? If this were only a question of language, the choice would be obvious: Blanche and Blanchett are nearly the same word. But since this is a question of talent, I’m going to have to go with Marge. On the now-classic episode of the Simpsons, which premiered on October 1, 1992, Marge not only played Blanche; she did her in a musical version of the Tennessee Williams drama called “Oh, Streetcar!” If Blanchett not only acts but sings the part, then I may be willing to change my vote. But since Blanchett is being directed by Liv Ullmann (!), I suspect that we will hear no lyrics on the order of Marge’s “I thought my life would be a Mardi Gras/A never-ending party — hah!”
