A lone wolf rides Rep's Streetcar

In the town where Marlon Brando first strode the boards as Stanley Kowalski, and where the Van Gogh painting that inspired the famous "STELLLLA" scene hangs in the Yale University Art Gallery, a werewolf named Alcide is getting ready to star in the Yale Rep's new production of A Streetcar Named Desire.

Joe Manganiello, star of HBO's werewolf series True Blood, plays Stanley in the Tennessee Williams classic, which begins previews at the University Theatre on September 20. Magnaniello's stature as a TV and movie star (Spider-Man, Magic Mike), and his physical stature (6'5", 230 pounds, and totally ripped) are generating some buzz.

"A TV Werewolf Roars 'Stella,'" the Wall Street Journal says, reporting that "between his morning workout at the university gym and a full day of rehearsal," Manganiello stopped into the art gallery to look at the drunks in Van Gogh's "The Night Café," which Williams cited in his stage notes for Streetcar. In a separate video interview, a Journal anchor quickly pivots to "the most important question: did he take off his shirt?" (No.)

The Hartford Courant reveals that Mark Rucker ’92MFA, a Yale Rep veteran who's directing the production, gave Manganiello the part without an audition. ("He just needs to walk into the room" to establish his presence.) And the New York Times provides a video clip of Manganiello as Stanley asking Stella, "Wasn't we happy together?" 

Celebrity spotting is nothing new in the Rep's neighborhood. At least Manganiello won't need to depend on the kindness of strangers.