Guthrie Theater – Minneapolis

Having visited the States so many times, I hadn’t been to any theater for a play or musical before. Danny thoughtfully put a theater – Guthrie Theater, in my visiting list in Minnesota. I was so excited that my mind was all about it after the T/Ms meeting was over. http://www.guthrietheater.org/whats_happening

After saying goodbye to Mary, Danny’s dear wife, Wednesday late morning; we, Danny, two T/Ms friend Joana and Tim headed for Minneapolis, Minnesota. Danny got the ticked booked already. It didn’t take long to find the Theater. It’s in a new building with a very eye-catching sign. The play on that night was the famous “A Streetcar Named Desire” by Tennessee Williams.

I have seen the movie three times. I have a DVD of it. The last time I saw it was on TV. Two popular movie stars Vivien Leigh and Marlon Brando played Blanche Dubois and Stanley Kowalski respectively. It was a very good movie although I don’t usually fall for sad dramas. Now seeing a real stage play of such a famous movie in a modern theater further thrilled me. The stage actor and actress were from New York.

I put my mind fully focusing on the stage. The stage design, the changing scenes, the actors and actress getting around their positions, the way they projected their voice, etc, all fascinated me. The way a play presents is much more dramatic than the movie for the audience to comprehend fully. I was not experienced to tell if the stage players were doing an excellent job or not. At least I could tell they strove to give their best performance. All the audience was fully attracted by them. Because of my language barrier, I was not able to catch some lines very well. I couldn’t ask Danny, I couldn’t make any noise in the theater while everyone is enjoying the play. Nevertheless I enjoyed every moment of it.

The play presented the story a little bit different than the movie. But there is no way to compare. The only element that I like the movie more is the great interpretation of the role Blanche Dubois given by Vivien Leigh. She was a true beauty and looked exactly vulnerable and helpless for her part in the movie. There was an intermission during the play. Everyone walked out to the salon area to enjoy the artistically designed facility and interactive atmosphere.

It was almost ten when the play was over. We hungered for food. It was late and it took us quite some time to finally find the restaurants that were still open. We chose Indian food. It was really nice and I ate a lot, almost twice as others did. What can I say, my stomach has a will of its own that I often eat much more than I should.

My mind was still on the play and the theater and the impact they had brought me. My trip to the Mid West of the States created one climax after another. Tomorrow, Rocky Coulee and the Art Institute of Minneapolis are waiting for me!

Trini