A short while back, a YourHub contributor informed the YourHub community of the upcoming play, "A Streetcar Named Desire" at the Vintage Theatre on Capitol Hill. Since I have not seen a play in a while, I love New Orleans and Tennessee Williams is known for penning some pretty good work, I wasted no time at all and went on-line to buy tickets. I had no idea what I would find, but I was pleased with what I discovered.

The Vintage Theatre is a small, (around 60 seats), theatre in an old storefront on east 17 th Avenue. It is also part of the 16 theatre Colorado Theatre Guild and quite a bargain. This show was $20, but, since I bought my ticket in advance, I only paid $17. I can also buy a three-show pack or all eight shows in a season ticket and only pay $15 per show. If you like intimate theatre and still expect a good performance at a good price, the Vintage Theatre fits the bill.

There is plenty of free parking along the street or in the parking lot at 17 th and Gaylord. If you are not familiar with the area, just remember that 17 th is a one-way street heading east. At first, I did not like that all seating in the theatre is general admission and, no matter when you arrive, they make you wait in the lobby until the doors officially open ½ hour before show time. I got over that once I discovered there were no bad seats in the house since almost every seat is in the first four rows, and the set on the stage looked very professionally done.

The set looked not only like the New Orleans of the play, but it reminded me a lot of the movie starring Vivien Leigh, Marlon Brando and Kim Hunter. I also liked the shadow of the St. Louis Cathedral on the back. If you have been to New Orleans, you know that the St. Louis Cathedral sits right between the Presbytere and the Cabildo, (where the Louisiana Purchase was signed), and is very prominent in the French Quarter. The set worked well to set the scene for the play.

The play itself was very good, but it had a couple of glaring faults. Now, I know it was opening night, and I do not expect everything to be perfect, but I was disappointed with the director's interpretation of the play. Even though the play is popular and most people know the story well, the director, Craig A. Bond, did not connect important parts of the play effectively and left too many gaps for the audience to fill in. I also did not like the two, 10-minute intermissions. One, 20-minute intermission would be better, but I suppose they have their reasons for doing it the way they do. Finally, I was not very impressed with the performance of Haley Johnson as Blanche DuBois. She reminded me too much of the Woody Allen movie, "Sleeper", and she was too melodramatic in too many scenes. Nonetheless, it was a good show for $17, but I would have been upset if I had paid any more than that.

On this night, I rate the Vintage Theatre an "A-"for having a cute theatre, serving drinks right inside at the show, and for choosing to take on a classic. I grade them down for the "Oklahoma Sooner" seating, disorganization at the front desk, and the two, 10-minute intermissions. The show itself I rate just a "B". The acting was good, but not great, I did not care for Ms. Johnson's Blanche, and the director left too much dangling. Still, I will come back to this theatre and I recommend it to all. I am also anxious to try some of the other members of the guild to see what they have to offer. In this age of everything costing more and paying less, it is great to find a bargain like a decent show for $15. I certainly have paid more for a lot less in return.

A Streetcar Named Desire

Cast:

Haley Johnson as Blanche DuBois

Kurt Brighton as Stanley Kowalski

Linda Williams as Stella Kowlaski

Directed by: Craig A. Bond

Elapsed time for this show is listed as two hours, but not on this night. The show officially started at 7:35 and ran until 10:45.

The show runs Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays through September 21 st with a different show beginning October 3 rd. All shows are 7:30 p.m. on Friday and Saturday. The Sunday shows are matinees beginning at 2:30 p.m.

For more information: www.vintagetheatre.com (tickets can be purchased on line)

The Colorado Theatre Guild - www.coloradotheatreguild.org