Gillian Anderson has wowed critics with her turn as Blanche DuBois in a London stage revival of A Streetcar Named Desire.

The X-Files actress stars as the troubled Southern belle in the revered Tennessee Williams play, which opened on Monday (28Jul14) at London's Young Vic Theatre.

British reviewers praised the performances of Anderson and her co-stars Ben Foster and Vanessa Kirby, but there were reservations over the constantly revolving stage setup.

Charles Spencer from The Daily Telegraph calls the show "an absolute knockout" and adds, "Never have I seen a production of the play that was so raw with emotion, so violent and so deeply upsetting... The performances are superb, Gillian Anderson giving the performance of her career..."

Michael Billington from The Guardian writes, "There's no doubt that Gillian Anderson gives a stellar performance... (she) captures both Blanche's airy pretensions to grandeur and her desolate loneliness."

The Daily Mail's Quentin Letts calls the production "an ingenious take powered by four ace performances, with an A star for X-Files' Anderson".

However, the critics had mixed opinions on the revolving stage, with Billington calling it "distracting" while Stephen Dalton from The Hollywood Reporter branded it "hypnotic".

The production, the fastest-selling in the theatre's history, runs until 19 September (14). It will be broadcast in cinemas worldwide on 16 September (14).