A Streetcar Named Desire starring Paul Mescal announces West End transfer after actor’s Oscar nomination

‘It’s my favourite play and it’s wonderful to be able to share it with a wider audience,’ Mescal said

A Streetcar Named Desire will transfer to the West End for an extended run amid the excitment of Paul Mescal’s Oscar nomination.

Mescal plays the irascible Stanley Kowalski in Rebecca Frecknall’s intense Tennessee Williams revival, which is soon to complete its seven-week run at the Almeida Theatre.

Tickets for the Almeida production have long been sold out, but an announcement on Tuesday (24 January), the same day that the Irish actor received his Best Actor nomination at the Oscars, delighted fans.

A Streetcar Named Desire, which also stars Patsy Ferran and Anjana Vasan, will move to the West End’s Phoenix Theatre for a run from 20 March to 29 April.

Commenting on the transfer, Mescal said: “I’m incredibly excited that Streetcar is being transferred to the West End with this formidable cast and creative team, led by the exceptionally talented Rebecca Frecknall.

“It’s my favourite play and it’s wonderful to be able to share it with a wider audience”.

Cabaret director Frecknall added: “I'm thrilled we will have the opportunity to share this production with a wider audience. It's a testament to this fantastic company and incredible play. It's been moving to see how audiences have responded to our work and I'm excited to see how the piece will evolve in the West End.”

In her four-star review of the production, The Independent’s Jessie Thompson said Mescal’s Stanley “radiates with rage, wearing his psychopathy on his sleeve, with a menacing sexuality that could stop traffic”.

Paul Mescal and Anjana Vasan in ‘A Streetcar Named Desire’ (Marc Brenner)

“Connell’s silver chain lies in tatters,” she wrote, alluding to Mescal’s breakout role (and jewellery) in 2020’s TV adaptation of Sally Rooney’s Normal People. “It’s entrancing to watch.”

Mescal has been nominated for a Best Actor Oscar for his role in Charlotte Wells’s debut drama Aftersun, in which the actor plays a young father grappling with his mental health while on holiday with his daughter.

Mescal called the nomination an “insane honour” in a statement.

Find the full list of Oscar 2023 nominations here – and find this year’s biggest snubs and surprises here.

He will face fellow first-time nominees Austin Butler (Elvis), Colin Farrell (The Banshees of Inisherin), Brendan Fraser (The Whale) and Bill Nighy (Living) for the award.

Tickets for A Streetcar Named Desire at the Phoenix Theatre go on sale 1 February and will range from £15 to £125.