Tag Archives: Los Angeles

“Mindplay” (or An Evening Of Mental Magic)

Between being a season ticket holder at the Pantages and being on mailing lists for other theaters, I find out about a lot of shows that are going on around LA. I don’t see as many shows as I should, and I tend to get tickets for things that aren’t exactly normal plays or musicals outside of my season tickets. For example, I saw the virtual show “Inside The Box” and then went to the in-person show “The Enigmatist”, both of which were puzzle-type shows. But those shows were so fun because I had no idea what I was in for and I loved how they were set up with a storyline to go through the various games and tricks.

So when I got an email about the show “Mindplay” and read that it was a one-man show with a mentalist, I knew it would be an amazing show to check out. I know being a mentalist and being a magician isn’t exactly the same, but they have similar elements so I felt certain that I would enjoy the show. And even better than getting the email about the show, they were offering a discount on tickets, so my friend Jane and I were able to get incredible seats for the same price as the cheapest seats (although the theater is small so I think all seats would be amazing).

The show was created and performed by Vinny DePonto, and the theme and storyline throughout the evening was about memories and mental manipulation. There was a lot of story about how we keep memories and how things like dementia can make us forget our memories and then sometimes they can resurface. I loved that storyline and message because that’s something I witnessed through my grandma. In the last few years of her life, she had moments of clarity where she was able to share memories with us that none of us had heard before. And those moments were really special to me because I was able to see the person that I remembered from my childhood.

I don’t want to give away a lot about the show because I think it was so good and everyone should check it out. And I think the less you know about the show, the better. But I can share that there is a lot of audience participation (I wasn’t called on so I just watched) and that there are lots of mind-reading moments. The way he was able to find out information had me speechless. None of these moments felt like a gimmick or a trick. They were seamless within the story and felt like this was a normal experience we were watching and not something special and incredible. I think that made it even better!

It wasn’t a long show and there isn’t an intermission, so the evening flew by. I wish it was longer because I was enjoying it so much. And I know that Jane felt the same way as we kept saying after the show was done that we had no idea how he could do the things he did but that it was so much fun to watch everyone in the room in awe the same way that we were. And there was a surprise at the end of the show (that I won’t spoil) that was just the best way to end the night!

After the show was done, we had a quick chance to meet Vinny and I let him know how much I enjoyed the evening.

Even though this show wasn’t about puzzles like the other ones I had seen recently, it had a lot of the same elements with mystery and improvisation. I would love to see another show that he does because it really was the perfect thing to watch that combined my love of shows and my nerdy side that enjoys puzzles and magic.

I know I’m so lucky that there are a lot of opportunities to see shows like this very close to my house. I know I won’t see every show that I’m told about because I do have to be a bit selective with my time and money, but I’m so glad that this was a show that I had the chance to see because I had the best time and got to have an evening that felt like I was witnessing something magical.

Not Exactly A Musical Night (or Continuing To Be Spoiled With Our Pre-Show Dinners)

My friend Jodi and I had our second show this past weekend for the new Pantages season. As I’ve said so many times, I’m glad that I have been able to continue going to shows and that I have a friend who wanted to join me this time. And I’m happy that the shows are back at the Pantages because that means it’s even easier for us to go to dinner at my favorite place, Wood & Vine. I was going there for dinner before the shows at the Dolby, but it was a bit more rushed since we had to drive over to the theater instead of just walking across the street. And honestly, going to Wood & Vine feels like such a part of the plan with going to a show and I miss it if I’m not there for my pre-show dinner.

Jodi and I decided to try a few new things for our dinner. We decided that we wanted to get the crab cakes again because they were so incredible the last time we had them. And we got the popcorn shrimp since that was something I had never had before there. And for our main entree, we got the burger (which came as 2 burgers) because I don’t think I’ve had that before either.

And as always, we got spoiled at dinner. We were sent an order of the ahi tartare, which was another thing that I had never had before there. And I don’t know if I’ve had ahi tartare before in general.

Every single bite was delicious. I’m glad their menu isn’t bigger because I’ve never had something there that I don’t like and it would be hard to decide what to get if they had more options. I have loved everything I’ve had and I always want to get some of my favorites as well as try new things as they change up their menu. And this was a perfect combination of things I had tried before and new things. I especially loved the garlic fries that came with the burger. They were perfectly garlicky!

And again, we were sent dessert even though we didn’t order it. Often, we are sent the butterscotch dessert because that is my favorite. But I think I have a new favorite now. We were sent the bread and butter pudding and I can’t explain how luxurious and delicious it was.

It wasn’t too sweet, which I loved. And it melted in your mouth. Honestly, if I didn’t have to be up early the next morning, I would have debated about us going back to Wood & Vine after the show for a second dessert! It was that good! And I think I will have to have that again the next time we have dinner there.

After being spoiled by so much good food, it was time to walk across the street to go to the show. I usually refer to the season as the musical season, but this was not a musical. I can’t remember another show that was a part of the regular season that wasn’t a musical, so it’s not something that happens regularly. But this season, they decided to make one of the shows a regular play.

Like so many people, I’m familiar with the story of “To Kill A Mockingbird”. I read the book in school and I remember my class watching the movie after we read the book. It’s been years since I’ve read or watched it, but I still knew the main plot points of the story. I had heard that there were a few changes made, but I didn’t think I’d recognize them since it had been so long since I had revisited the story.

I think the play was very well done. The performances were incredible and the plot followed the story that I remembered for the most part. They did some back and forth with the storytelling that I don’t remember seeing before, but it was easy enough to follow when we were moving through the timeline or when we were watching the action take place versus having the characters tell the story. And I liked how they used the set to change from location to location because it was done very simply and kept the focus on the story (sometimes musicals have sets that are super flashy and can be something I focus on a bit too much).

It was an interesting change of pace compared to seeing musicals, but I think it was a good addition to the season. And while Jodi and I were at dinner, we realized that our next show isn’t for about 2 months. And then after that, we have a 4-month break between shows! So we are going to try to see if there are any other random shows we want to go to since we are having so much fun getting to hang out on a regular basis and have entertaining nights out! But even if we don’t figure out another show to see before January, I’m so excited about what we have coming up and I know that this season is going to continue to be amazing!

1 Year Of Being A Homeowner (or It’s Been A Crazy First Year)

Exactly one year ago, we closed on the sale of my condo. In some ways, it feels like it was just the other day and in other ways, it feels like it’s been longer than a year. I think the fact that I looked at so many condos makes the timeline a bit muddy in my mind. But I know that only looking for a month last year is a lot quicker than most people experience. And I know several people who didn’t get the first or second place they put an offer in on. So to only have to put an offer in on one place was very lucky and I’m still so grateful that this is my home.

Even though I have been a homeowner for a year now, I consider this to be my home for only about 6 months since I didn’t move in here until April this year. I wasn’t expecting to have to stay in my rental as long as I did, but the renovation took longer due to multiple reasons and I knew I didn’t want to live through a renovation when I could be living in a different location. It did make things a bit more expensive for me since I was paying for rent during that overlap plus I had bills at both homes, but it was worth it to me to have peace in my home and not construction noise all day.

Looking back at the photos of the condo from the listing, it doesn’t feel like the same place to me anymore. I was really able to make this my home and fit my style and aesthetic. It’s not finished yet and I still have things I need to get, but it’s much more like my home than my rental or what the condo looked like before the renovation.

Originally, the plan wasn’t to do a huge renovation, but as we got started it made more sense to do everything at once instead of doing some before I moved in and some after I was living here. And we made a few significant changes such as making the passthrough between the kitchen and living room much bigger so it felt like the two rooms were open to each other. That idea was something my parents heard when they were interviewing contractors, and I think that change made such a difference in how the space feels. We also had to get new kitchen cabinets when the original plan was to just refinish the ones that were in there because the original ones were damaged and wouldn’t be able to support me putting dishes in them without risking having them fall off the walls. So obviously that had to be fixed. I don’t think we necessarily went overboard with the renovation, but we did do a lot as we discovered things that needed to be done. And at least now anything else I want to do (which is only my closet and my bathroom) are things that can wait for a few years since the changes are about the appearance and not the function.

I haven’t had to change too much in my life since moving because I’m only a few blocks away from my rental. My life still has the same routines and I still go to the same places I went to before, like the same grocery stores. But I think the quality of my life has improved a lot. Having almost 3 times the space has been a huge and positive change. I didn’t realize how nice it would be to have my office area separate from my living room. I have a kitchen that is really functional and that has appliances that work and don’t make it harder to cook. And I’m very fortunate that my costs haven’t changed too much compared to what I was paying before. Some of my bills are a bit higher, but others are lower. And paying property taxes was a bit of a shock with how much they are, but when you split up the cost over a year, between those and my HOA fees, it’s about the same as I was paying in rent.

But I think the best thing that has happened to me in the past year of being a homeowner is just feeling more settled in my home and really feeling like I have a place that is mine. My rental felt more like my place than any other place I had lived before, but I had no idea how much more I could feel like my place is my home until I moved into the condo. Part of it has to do with the renovation and changes we made to how things look. But there’s just something different knowing that this is my home and my piece of LA. I’m not dependent on a landlord to maintain a space and I don’t have to worry about the rents increasing and pricing me out or having a landlord that wants to tear down the building to modernize things and needing to rush to find a new home (which is what is going to happen to my neighbors at my old place as soon as the landlord can kick people out). I have felt like LA has been my home pretty much as soon as I moved here. Even living in the dorms in college, LA felt like home.

But even though I have felt like LA has been my home for over 20 years, I have spent the past year owning a part of LA and really being able to build a home and not just moving into a space to try to make it feel like mine. And I can’t wait to continue my life in LA in this home and see what the next year and beyond have in store for me!

Another Theater Sunday (or Supporting A Friend)

Most of the time, when I’m going to see a show I’m going to see something in a large theater at the Pantages or the Dolby. I have seen shows at other theaters, including some small theaters, but that’s not too often for me. I saw more shows in small black box theaters when I was younger, especially while I was still doing sketch and improv. I frequently would go to shows that my friends were doing on nights I wasn’t in a show and then they would see my shows on their off nights. But I just haven’t really seen a lot of independent theater lately. Some of that is because my friends aren’t doing as much theater like that, and some of it has been that I haven’t had a chance to.

My friend Marie was in an amazing show over the summer called “A Funny Thing Happened On The Way To Divorce”, and I really wanted to go and see it. But with a lot of my crazy schedule stuff plus various injuries and illnesses, I never made it to the theater. I knew that Marie understood, but I felt so bad that I never made it. So when she emailed me to let me know that the show was extending its run and starting up again, I was so excited that I could go and see it! And that’s exactly what I got to do this past Sunday.

The show was in a cute little theater in the theater district in Hollywood. I’ve seen a few shows in theaters near there before, and they are great places to see independent theater and new shows. This was a new show and it had gotten some great reviews. And when I got there, I saw that my friend Andy happened to be going to the show that afternoon as well. I was expecting to sit alone at the show, and I was glad that I had a friend that I could sit with. And since it was open seating, we got to sit in the front row together.

The show is a one-act play without an intermission. Without giving away too much, it’s the story of 3 couples ready to get a divorce and have to see a mediator in order to complete the process. The stories of each couple are explored and explained with a few different flashback segments. And there are some really funny moments as well as some really touching and heartwarming moments. I guess it would be considered more of a drama, but because of the comedy in it as well it wasn’t a very heavy show. And I feel like it ended on a really nice note as well.

Of course, I loved getting to see Marie in a show. I haven’t been able to see her in a show in a long time, and most of the shows I have seen her in have been standup performances. Getting to see her in a play is very different and I was so proud of how amazing she was! I’m glad I got a second chance to see this show because missing it would have been a loss for me.

The show is running through November 20th and has performances on Saturdays and Sundays. If you are in LA and would like to see it (which I really recommend), you can get tickets online and use the code “friends” for a nice discount!

I’m so glad I had this opportunity to support a friend performing and doing the thing they love so much. This isn’t something I get to do that often, and it was a good reminder of how awesome it is to see independent theater and the passion of everyone involved in a show.

Kicking Off Another Season Of Musicals (or A Really Impressive Start To The Season)

As I mentioned before, I got season tickets for the Pantages for the coming season. I’m going with my friend Jodi, which I’m very excited about. She joined me for two shows in the past season, and we talked a bit about getting season tickets for this season. She wasn’t sure about it, but once the tickets were for sale and she and I both looked at our own budgets, we both could make it work so we got the full season! We’ve had to change the dates for a few of our shows, but we are still going to all of the shows in the current season. And I’m so glad we are doing this since seeing the shows have been a real highlight for me each time I have a show. And I didn’t want to go alone so I’m glad Jodi was able to make it work so she could come too.

Our season just got started and we got to see our first show this past weekend. Our shows this season are a mix of shows that I’m either familiar with or familiar with the material they are based on and new shows for me. And this one was a bit of a mix.

Our first show was “Jagged Little Pill” and I knew it was essentially a jukebox musical with the music being songs by Alanis Morissette. I knew many of the songs from that album, but not all of them, so I knew there would be some songs I knew and some that were new to me. But even though I knew the songs, I didn’t know what the story of the show was. For a lot of other jukebox musicals, they are about the singer or songwriter they are about. So it’s a bit of a biography and follows their life or career. But I knew this wasn’t that way even though I didn’t know the plot.

Without giving too much of the story away, the show is about a year in the life of a family that has a mom, dad, son, and daughter. And while each person might look from the outside that they are doing well or succeeding in life, all of them are struggling with different traumas in their lives. The show gets pretty intense at times, but I didn’t feel like it was overwhelming. Sometimes if a show gets to be too much, I can’t exactly focus on it and I miss some of the story. But this one just pushed the limit of being overwhelming and I was fully engaged while watching the entire time. But it was emotional and dealt with a lot of serious things, so it was very different from other musicals that I’ve seen.

I really enjoyed this show. Even though it wasn’t a happy or joyful show, it was beautifully done. The performances were really incredible. Some of the songs are really intense, and the actors really nailed it. And the dancing was amazing too. Some of the dancing was to represent the character’s inner feelings and thoughts and I loved how that was done. And I think the issues they went through in the show are things that so many people have to deal with and I think it was a great way to show how you never know what someone is going through in their life.

For most of the shows that I have seen at the Pantages, I sat in the orchestra in pretty much the same seats each season. But this season we are up in the mezzanine which is a very different viewpoint. It is a bit further from the stage than my past seats, but because we aren’t off to the side like I was in the past, we can see more of the stage which is nice. And I don’t think it feels that much further from the stage since before we were much further to the side.

I’m really looking forward to the rest of the shows this season. I think Jodi and I are going to have so much fun with the shows we are going to get to see and I’m just so happy to be continuing my tradition of seeing musicals on a regular basis!

Feeling The Need To Travel Again (or I Really Haven’t Left LA In A While)

Growing up, I used to travel pretty regularly. We would go to Tahoe in the winter for a week or two and then again in the summer. My parents usually planned a big summer trip for us each year as well. Sometimes we did a driving trip where we went to a bunch of states and national parks. Sometimes it was a trip out of the country on a big adventure. And a few times a year, we would go down to San Diego to see my grandparents. I didn’t travel as much once I was in high school, since missing school was harder. So I didn’t always go to Tahoe the entire time my family was there, but I still had big family trips each summer.

Once I moved to LA, I didn’t do as much travel since I was occupied with college. I did go back to the Bay Area or to Tahoe sometimes. And I did little random road trips to Palm Dessert, San Diego, or Las Vegas. And after I was done with college, I cut back on traveling even more. I have done a few random trips here and there, but outside of traveling to be with family, I didn’t always travel every year.

And I’m aware that I’m coming from a place of privilege and most people don’t have opportunities to travel. Either they can’t miss work or they don’t have the extra money to spend, so if they go on a trip, it’s either something they have saved up for a long time or done locally or inexpensively. And for a lot of my adult life, unless my family was helping me with paying for a trip, that was the same situation for me. But even if I was just getting out of LA to see family, I usually went somewhere every year or every other year.

But since Thanksgiving 2019, the furthest I’ve been from LA has been Santa Barbara. That’s about a 90-minute drive each way, so it’s not super close but also not really that far either. I wasn’t going to travel during the pandemic, although I did think about driving to be with my parents in Tahoe (I wasn’t going to fly). But it made more sense for me to stay in LA since during 2020 there was so much uncertainty with work and I didn’t want to have to rush back home for some reason. And I wasn’t going to travel somewhere else since I was basically trying to avoid other people. I know that things are better now, but I just haven’t had the chance to travel.

But I’m feeling more and more of an urge to plan a trip. I don’t have anywhere to go or anyone to travel with, but I just want to have some sort of an adventure that isn’t in my bubble here. I am still worried about Covid and other things, but as I’ve watched more and more of my friends and family go on really great vacations, I’d like to have one too. And I think I’m in such a routine or rut that I could use something that would break me out of it. I know exactly what I’ll be doing every day and it’s pretty much the same pattern every week. I could use some variety, and having a vacation would totally change things up.

I don’t exactly have the money saved for a big trip, but I am doing better financially than I have before. My expenses are similar to what they were before, but I’m making more money than I was even earlier this year. I don’t have vacation days or paid time off right now, but because of some changes with the main job I have, I know that there will be a policy for that soon. Once I know what the PTO policy is like and how many days I might have already (I don’t know if we will all start at 0 or if they will count them back to when we all started working), then maybe I will start seeing if I can find a friend to travel with. I still don’t think I’d like to travel alone, even though I know a lot of my friends have done that for the first time recently and loved it. But I would rather have someone to go on adventures with so I don’t feel isolated while traveling.

I have no idea when I’ll be able to get out of LA for a trip that I plan. I know that as of right now, I will be headed up to Oregon in November to do an early Thanksgiving with family, so at least that will be something. But I want to plan something that is more about exploring the world and hopefully getting to see a place I have never been to before.

Thinking Back On 21 Years In LA (or Feeling A Bit Sentimental)

I just celebrated my LA anniversary. I’ve lived in LA for 21 years now. I know that isn’t a milestone year, but I still think it’s crazy how many years I’ve lived here when in my mind it does feel like I lived in the Bay Area longer. I know that isn’t true, but maybe it’s because my LA life has been a bit split up between being in college, different apartments, and different phases of my life.

Even though I’ve lived here for so long, I haven’t lived in that many places. When I moved to LA, I lived in my freshman dorm at LMU. The summer between my freshman and sophomore year, I sublet an apartment that I shared with 3 roommates. I was also in a dorm for my sophomore year, and during winter break that year I lived with my great aunt and uncle because I had things I needed to do in LA and the dorms were closed for the break. After my sophomore year, I moved into my first apartment and was only there for a year. Then I moved to my next apartment with a roommate and was there for my last semester of college (I graduated a semester early). After 6 years and a bunch of roommates, I moved into the house that I just moved out of. And now I’m in my condo.

I look at the time I was in the dorms and my first apartment as a totally different part of my life. Even my second apartment was a bit less like I was living in LA at times and more like an extension of college. Even though I was only in college for about 6 months in that apartment and then had 5 1/2 years after college, it still felt connected to being a student. My last place really felt like the first grown-up place I lived in. And of course, being in my condo now is a new and exciting phase of life. I did feel settled in LA while living in my last place, but being in a place that I own is an entirely different level.

And as I’ve said this so many times, I had no idea that this is what my life would be like when I was younger. Even just a year ago, I had no idea what my living situation would be like or what type of place I would be moving into. As much as I try to plan for the future, I have had so many curveballs and surprises so I can’t always plan what things will be like. But I have been lucky and most of those curveballs and surprises have been positive or have led to positive things. I didn’t feel like having my landlord sell my place would be necessarily positive, but it was one of the best things for me. So when things seem to be not looking so great, I do try to be patient and hope for the best since things do tend to turn out ok.

I still can’t believe that when I moved to LA, I had just turned 18 and while I had hoped I would stay in LA as an adult I was just happy to be there for college. Now, I’m only a year away from being 40 and I have built such a crazy and cool life here. I can’t imagine what things will be like for me in another 21 years. I also know that I have no idea what things will be like in just another year. So much can change so quickly. But as my history of the last 21 years has shown, it can change in some incredible ways that will help me continue to live the best life that I can in the city that I truly love living in.

Feeling Like The Summer Is Slipping Away (or Trying To Make A List Of Things To Do)

There are so many things that I love to do around LA. Not everything is specific to certain times of the year or seasons, but there are a few things that can only happen during the summer for example. And I usually have been good about making plans to be able to do at least of few of these. But the past few summers haven’t really been that way.

The summer of 2020 was really spent being at home and making sure I don’t get sick. Yes, I missed out on doing a lot of things that I love, but it was more important for me to stay safe and not get sick. Last summer, I did a few things that I usually try to do, but I was still being very cautious about where I went and who I was around. I also didn’t get out as much because so many of my friends had moved away from LA. It’s tough when you are used to doing certain things with specific friends, and I wasn’t doing a very good job about just asking around to see who was free and wanted to go do something.

This summer, I’ve just been busy. Moving and getting settled into my condo has taken up a lot of my time, although that is something that I’m glad I have been doing because I want to make my condo feel like home. I have also been busy with work. I am still getting used to working more hours than I did before the pandemic. And I am enjoying the work that I’m doing now, especially since I have created my own new position at the company, but it still is taking up more hours than I am used to having for work. For example, I no longer have Mondays off, which used to be the day that I went out and did a lot of fun things. Now, unless I take a day off of work, my only day without work is on Sunday. And I usually spend a lot of Sunday getting things ready for the week.

But I know that saying I’m working more can also be an excuse. I do have a lot of things in the evenings, but that’s not every evening. And I do work on Saturdays, but that’s only in the morning so I can plan for more things mid-day or later in the day. And I know that if I can more fun things to my schedule, it won’t feel as tiring as adding more work hours to my schedule. If anything, it might be a little refreshing to have more time with friends and to get out of the rut that I tend to be in during the week.

So I have been making an effort to make a plan for the second half of the summer. I know that I won’t be able to do everything that I would like to do, but if I could do a few things I know that it will be a benefit to my life. I’ve been looking back at things that I have enjoyed doing and seeing what is possible with my schedule and finances. For example, looking at the schedule at the Bowl or seeing movies at the Hollywood Forever cemetery. Those are a bit more time-specific, but if I find something that I want to see, then I can try to fit it into my schedule. And I’m also working on reaching out to more friends to see who would like to go do things with me. I’m rebuilding friendships that were more like acquaintances in the recent past and that’s been a really great thing for me.

I know that the summer will be over before we know it. Time always seems to move quicker every year and I know that if I don’t make an effort that summer will be done and some of the things I want to do won’t be options until next summer. If I don’t make it to anything that I would like to do, I want to make sure that I at least try. And maybe if I can’t get things done this year, it will help remind me to make plans for next summer so I don’t miss out on that time again.

Moulin Rouge! (or The Last Show Of An Extended Theater Season)

The 2019-2020 season at the Pantages and Dolby theaters has been going for quite a while. I had no idea when that season started that a pandemic was going to hit and that everything would shut down. And I had no clue that my friend Dani would be moving away before the season ended so I would be going to the last half of the season with different friends. But, as we all know, so much was not planned or the way we thought it would be. So I have just been glad that I have been able to go back to the shows again when they started up.

And this past weekend, I finally went to the final show of that extended season. This time, my friend Woody came with me and we got to see Moulin Rouge. This was my first show back at the Pantages since 2019 (since the first show in 2020 was at the Dolby), and the theater looked amazing as soon as we walked in!

And it was my first time back in my old seats since 2019 as well. But not only was it the first time back in those seats, but it was also the last time I’d be sitting there. Because of how season ticket renewals work, I wasn’t able to get my old seats back since I am not the ticket holder of those seats. But I am excited about my seats for next season because they will be a bit more centered. And even though they are further back, the theater isn’t that big and I’ve sat all the way in the back and it’s still felt close. But it was a bit of a bittersweet moment knowing that this show was the last time I’d be sitting there when we’ve had those seats for so many seasons.

But that bittersweet feeling went away as soon as the show started because it was amazing! I already was excited to see it because Moulin Rouge is one of my favorite movies. But I know that sometimes a movie I love doesn’t always turn into a great musical. But this time, I think the musical might have been better than the movie! And I think that is pretty rare!

It is the same storyline and plot as the movie with a few little changes in it to make it work better for the stage. But the biggest change was the music. In the movie, most of the songs were popular hits that were not original songs for the movie. The musical was the same, but they changed up the songs to use a lot more current ones. And the songs they picked were so perfect for each moment. It was a jukebox musical but it was from all different artists and genres. And the choices were so entertaining and everyone in the audience was laughing and getting a kick out of each one.

And with all the craziness going on in the country, it was so nice to have a little escape from reality. Even though the plot is a bit sad, it was still such an upbeat show to watch. And one of my favorite things about some musicals is when you can tell the cast is having a fun time performing. And there is no doubt this cast loves their job and that they were having just as much fun performing as we did watching.

Considering how this very extended season went and the reasons why everything shut down, I’m so glad that the final show this season had such a positive note. And I’m ready for the next season, which will be starting after the summer. The next season will be a bit different from my past ones since I will be sitting in a new location and have a new friend to go to all the shows with, but I know it will still be an amazing time. And I can’t wait to see which shows in the 2022-2023 season become new favorites of mine!

All Set For Another Musical Season (or I’m Glad I Can Continue This)

I’ve had season tickets for the Pantages (or Dolby) for several seasons. As I always write in my posts about the shows, I really enjoy going out to the shows and they are such a fun night for me. The group that I have gone to the shows with has changed a few times over the years and sometimes there are 4 people in the group and sometimes there are 2 people in the group. But no matter the group size, it’s always a fun night out.

The season that is coming to an end has been an odd one. Obviously, the shutdown and having no shows for so long was weird. But then Dani, who has always had season tickets with me, moved away from LA. For the shows since she moved away, I have had a few different friends come with me for shows and I have really loved having friend time since that is something that I don’t get to have that often.

But when the new season was announced, I wasn’t sure what I would do. I couldn’t renew my season tickets since Dani was the ticket holder and I wasn’t going to ask her if she would still just send me the tickets. That’s not fair to her and it makes things a bit more complicated. And I wasn’t sure if I was going to renew my tickets. I didn’t know who might want to get a full season with me. I had asked a few friends and a bunch of them said they would go to a few shows, but they weren’t interested in a full season. So I figured I would just go to some of the shows and not all of them.

But when season tickets went on sale for everyone and not just renewals, I decided to take a look at the options and how much it would cost to get seats similar to what I have had each season. And the price wasn’t too bad. It was about $55 for each show, which is what they normally are. And I think the coming season looks pretty fun. There are some shows I’m more excited about than others, but overall it looks like a good season.

Since I had more information about pricing and where we could get seats, I decided to reach out to my friends again to see if anyone changed their mind about getting a full season. I also have another friend who has season tickets on her own, so I could have always switched which nights I usually go and try to get tickets near her. But I was hoping I could find someone who wanted to go on the weekends since that’s easier for me.

And my friend Jodi, who went to 2 shows with me so far, decided that the full season would be a good deal and she and I just got our season tickets! We aren’t in the same seats I’ve had before since those are still being held for the renewal that Dani could do. Eventually, they will be released but we didn’t want to have to wait since you would have to time that out perfectly. But we found really good seats in the mezzanine that are still on the side but more centered compared to the seats from the past seasons in the orchestra. But since the theater isn’t too big, sitting in the mezzanine is still close to the stage. And I’m used to sitting higher up now because that’s how my tickets were for the Dolby.

I’m so excited to have another season of musicals lined up! And I’m excited that I found a friend who will be enjoying all the shows with me for the next year because it’s always more fun to see the shows with someone else!