Tag Archives: theater

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

Posted on July 6, 2022 | Comments Off on 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!

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

Posted on June 23, 2022 | Comments Off on 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!

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Getting Spoiled At Dinner (or Another Musical Night)

Posted on May 5, 2022 | Comments Off on Getting Spoiled At Dinner (or Another Musical Night)

I’ve been so happy ever since the musical season started up again. It’s been a bit weird to be in big crowds, but I’m getting more used to it and I’m grateful that the theater has some protocols in place to try to keep people safe. And since I don’t really go out a ton right now (which I know I need to change), I do try to make these nights at the show fun nights out.

The rest of the delayed 2020 season is still happening for my tickets and I still have a few more shows to go before the next season. And I’m thinking I might try to get tickets for the next season with a different friend since Dani won’t be in LA for the shows. But I have time to think about that for a bit. For now, I’m just enjoying each show I get to see.

This past weekend, the musical was “Tootsie”. I am pretty familiar with the movie and while it is a bit problematic I was curious what they would do for the musical. I asked around to see who wanted to take Dani’s ticket, and my friend Jodi was able to come with me again. And since we had so much fun at Wood & Vine the last time we went, we decided to meet up for dinner before the show again!

I am very lucky that I have gotten to know the manager at Wood & Vine and he tends to spoil me and my friends whenever we are there for dinner. I never assume that will happen, but every time I’m there for dinner there are more things that I want to try than I know I have room for in my stomach.

We decided to order the spinach and artichoke dip, short rib, and vegetable risotto. But we were surprised when we started getting a bunch of food that we didn’t order along with what we did order.

We were sent some things from the upcoming menu to try out before they were available. We tried a fried chicken slider on a charcoal bun, a beet and goat cheese salad, and a summer peach and candied nuts salad. They were all so good! The slider was spicy but not too overpowering. I don’t really like beets, but the dressing on the beet salad was delicious. And honestly, the best thing was the peach salad. It was so fresh and flavorful. I hope it’s on the menu soon because I want to make sure I order it again the next time I’m there! I’ve never had anything bad at Wood & Vine, but I swear they keep getting better and better and I’m loving all the new things I’ve been able to try!

After dinner, we headed over to the show at the Dolby. I do miss the shows being at the Pantages because it’s so much easier just to walk across the street after dinner instead of having to drive to a second location. Normally, it’s not a big deal. But this time, we were just hitting all the lights wrong and there was a line of traffic to get into the parking lot. This ended up being the first time I’ve ever been late for a show. We arrived just as the doors closed and we were able to watch the opening number from the TVs in the lobby so we didn’t completely miss the beginning. But it was frustrating that we missed seeing it from our seats. But as soon as that first number was done, we were able to go to our seats and enjoy the rest of the show from there.

They did make some changes to the show that went into some of the problematic things from the movie. But it still has some things that made me cringe a bit. It’s not a bad show, but it just has a few moments that really took me out of enjoying it because it didn’t sit right with me. But the performances were really good, especially with some of the supporting actors. I loved the actor who played the roommate. He was so funny and did a great job with the lines he had that called out the situation of the show.

I think Jodi and I felt the same about the show. It wasn’t bad, but it felt a bit dated because of some of the themes. But we still both enjoyed it. And going to a show still feels like a treat to me.

I have a few more shows to go for sure, and then I’ll have to decide what to do about the next season. But I think even if I don’t get the full season next time, there are friends who want to see some of the shows and I’m getting better about coordinating things so I don’t miss seeing things I want to go to. And even if I only go to a handful of shows in the next season, I know I will appreciate each one I get to go to because they really are special nights for me.

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“The Band’s Visit” (or A Two Show Weekend)

Posted on December 8, 2021 | Comments Off on “The Band’s Visit” (or A Two Show Weekend)

Going to a show these days is a rare event and feels like a special treat. And to have 2 shows in the same weekend would have been a rarity even before the pandemic! So to have two shows this past weekend was something extraordinary for me!

I didn’t plan to have a show to go to on both Saturday and Sunday, but that’s how my weekend this past weekend ended up going. I had “The Enigmatist” on Saturday and on Sunday I had my musical at the Dolby! This time the show was “The Band’s Visit” and my friend Dani wasn’t able to go with me so my friend Jodi took the extra ticket. I hadn’t seen Jodi since before the pandemic, so I was so excited to see her. And since we hadn’t seen each other in so long, we decided to also go to dinner before the show. And to me, the best (and really only) place for a pre-show dinner is to go to Wood & Vine.

I had been to Wood & Vine once since the pandemic when I was there right after they reopened. But that was just to have dinner and not before a show. And before the last show I went to, I didn’t go to dinner since I went to the show alone. So this was my first dinner and a show night in a long time!

And as always, the food didn’t disappoint at all! We started with the spinach and artichoke dip. And then the manager recommended we have the short ribs and the sea bass, so that’s exactly what we got!

Honestly, I know I say this every time, but the food is just incredible! I’ve never had anything less than spectacular and I wish I could try more things each time. But it’s also so good and I’m always so full when I leave.

But even after being full from dinner, there is always room for dessert. And we were treated to my favorite butterscotch dessert as well as donuts!

We had made our dinner reservations pretty early so we would have time to enjoy the meal and catch up, and I’m glad we did that. It was so nice not to feel super rushed. And because the musicals right now are at the Dolby and not the Pantages, we had to drive to the show (instead of just walking across the street). But it was an easy enough drive and we just parked in the garage there, so before we knew it we were at our seats!

I really didn’t know much about this show and neither did Jodi. The main thing I knew was that it won the Tony for best musical. And we were told to think of it more as a play with songs versus a musical. And I think that was the perfect description. It was a slice of life show. While it didn’t have any crazy or elaborate musical numbers, it was a really beautiful show with a great message. And the cast was so talented.

And just like when I saw “My Fair Lady”, just being in a theater seeing a musical made my day. I know how lucky I am that I get to do this and I have a theater that is doing what they can to keep people safe. Everyone there is vaccinated and required to wear a mask at all times. And they are very strict with those rules, which I appreciate.

The show was a bit shorter than I expected, but it also didn’t have an intermission. And after the show, I drove Jodi back over to where she parked her car since we didn’t want to both have to spend money on parking at the theater.

I think almost any night I get to see a show is an amazing night. But this time, I got to have an awesome dinner and a great show. Plus I got to catch up with a friend in person who I hadn’t seen in 2 years. Honestly, this was one of the best nights I’ve had in a long time and it made me feel so grateful for what I have and what I get to do.

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“The Enigmatist” (or A Night Of Puzzles, Word Games, and Magic)

Posted on December 7, 2021 | Comments Off on “The Enigmatist” (or A Night Of Puzzles, Word Games, and Magic)

I think it’s pretty clear by the number of posts I have written about going to musicals that I love going to see live shows. And while I haven’t written as much about being nerdy, I am a pretty nerdy person. I love brain teaser type things. I do the crossword (both the regular and mini New York Times crosswords) every day. And I also really love magic. So when there is something that combines all these things, I know I want to check it out! And that’s exactly what happened this past weekend. I went to check out the show “The Enigmatist” at the Geffen.

This show is a one-man show by David Kwong. I actually had seen another one of his shows over Zoom earlier this year. I really enjoyed that show a lot and was excited there was a chance to see one of his shows in person. And I got a Black Friday deal that made the tickets super affordable. I reached out to some of my friends who I thought would enjoy a puzzle show, and my friends Jane and Robert were able to come with me.

The show starts before the show with some pre-show puzzles to solve. I don’t want to say too much since there are still shows that people can attend, but the puzzles are all fun and show you different ways to solve puzzles that have one-word answers. We were able to solve all of them before the show started, and we went inside to sit down a few minutes before everything was going to start. With the Black Friday deal I had, we were able to be really close to the stage area. But the entire room was pretty small so everyone had great seats. And since it was an interactive show, everyone had an equal opportunity to participate.

I really want to share so much that happened because it was an incredible show, but I also don’t want to give away much to spoil it. But I will share one funny story that happened. During the show, there are 4 main puzzles that we work on solving and then we use those to solve the big puzzle at the end. For the first puzzle, I actually had no clue what the answer was and had to hear what the person who solved it thought. But as soon as the second puzzle came up, I almost knew immediately what the answer was.

I don’t know how I knew it or how I saw it, but it just clicked. I asked Robert something because I wanted to be sure, but I knew I had the answer. We were told to stand up if we knew the answer and he would call on us to answer it. I don’t know if I stood up too quickly or if he was waiting to see if anyone else might stand, but I felt like I was standing up waiting for him to call on me for several minutes. And during that time, nobody else was standing. I was so worried I was completely wrong and that I was about to embarrass myself. I had no idea why nobody else saw the answer when it seemed so clear to me. But finally I was called on to give my answer and I was right! But I was really panicking a bit that I was completely off-base and that everyone would laugh at me.

Besides getting an answer to a main puzzle right, another highlight for me at the show was watching him construct a crossword puzzle live in front of us. I think creating crosswords is a really cool skill and seeing it happen was magical! I’m aware of how nerdy this all sounds, but this was exactly my type of nerdiness and it really made this show incredible! And Jane and Robert also had a great time and we were talking about how impressed we were after the show was done.

And there was a chance to take a photo with David Kwong after the show was done, which of course we had to do.

We all told him how much we enjoyed the show and I was able to tell him how much I enjoyed the show over Zoom as well. I love getting the chance to tell people how much I love their work, and honestly this was one of the coolest shows I’ve been to!

I really hope he does another show in the future so I can go to another one. I loved how this combined puzzles, magic, and storytelling and made an amazing show. And if you have a chance to see the show before it closes, do it! It’s so much fun and you will leave shocked about how it all comes together in the end!

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Inside The Box (or Enjoying Some Virtual Theater)

Posted on March 3, 2021 | Comments Off on Inside The Box (or Enjoying Some Virtual Theater)

There are so many things I miss from a year ago. I’ve talked about missing my old life several times. Part of missing things is having something fun in my schedule and being busy, but the other part is that some of these things have become a bit of a routine for me. And I feel lost without the routine in my life. I know we are getting closer and closer to gaining those things back again, but there will still be time before things are fully up and running again (and that I feel safe to do them).

One of the routines I miss so much from before is going to see musicals. The last musical I saw in a theater was only about a week or two before everything shut down. And I remember thinking then about how close together everyone was sitting, but not being too worried about it. Now, I can’t imagine doing that until things are safer and I almost can’t believe that we were doing that right before everything shut down. I still have musicals to see from that last season, plus we already bought tickets for the next. But I don’t think they will be restarting for a little while. So finding ways to fill the live theater void in my life has been something I’ve been working on since the pandemic started.

I have done some virtual theater nights at home. These have been mainly watching recorded theater at home. Sometimes it’s just me watching alone and sometimes a friend is watching at the same time and we are texting back and forth as we watch. Even though I don’t talk when I’m seeing live theater, texting back and forth while watching makes it a less solitary activity and feels like I’m a part of something bigger. It’s not exactly like watching theater with a crowd, but it’s better than watching alone.

And I knew of some Zoom theater shows that had happened, but I hadn’t really looked too much into them. But I remembered hearing about a Zoom show called “Inside The Box” last year. This wasn’t a musical, but a word puzzle and game type show. My dad and I are both word and puzzle nerds who like things like crossword puzzles and Scrabble. So I told him about the show last year. But it was sold out and I didn’t think we’d get a chance to watch it. Then I heard the show was extending the run, and we decided to get tickets. Since it was over Zoom, my parents got one ticket for them (the tickets were per household, not per person) and I got one for myself. And I was super excited to have a fun and nerdy night of puzzles!

I didn’t really want to watch alone, plus I knew I might need help with some of the puzzles. So I invited my friend Dani over to watch with me. Since we are both being super cautious, I knew I could trust having her over at my house. We did still try to keep things on the safer side (not sitting too close together and keeping my door open so there is airflow), but it was a risk that we both accepted and we understood the trust we had in each other.

The week of the show, we were emailed a puzzle packet. There was one puzzle to solve before the show started and a few things to prep before the show. We also had to have one game piece to use and something red. Both Dani and I had options because we weren’t sure what we were going to use them for and we wanted to be prepared.

First, the one negative thing that happened that night. Unfortunately, my parents were having some technical issues and they ended up not being able to be a part of the show. That did upset me because part of what I was so excited about was to do this with my dad. But I guess it wasn’t meant to be. But I am grateful to the staff at the Geffen who tried really hard to fix the issue so they could join in and then refunded my parents when they were unable to participate.

But besides my parents not being able to be in the show, I have to say that it was such a great night! The host/star of the show, David Kwong, constructs crossword puzzles as well as is a magician. And while there wasn’t necessarily magic tricks in the show, it did have that feeling. Both Dani and I said it felt like a show at The Magic Castle. And it was really fun to learn the different bits of history behind different types of word puzzles. I know sometimes a show can feel slow when it’s going into the backstory or history, but this did not. It was really entertaining the entire time!

And I’m so glad Dani was watching with me. We worked together the entire time to solve the different puzzles. There were some games that we were doing a great job at figuring it out and a few that weren’t that easy for us. But we were having so much fun the entire time. And when you solved a puzzle, you waved your hands so the host could pick someone to call on to answer. We were called on a few times to answer, and fortunately we were right each time.

The show was about 90 minutes long and ended with one last puzzle that Dani and I were just stumped on. I think we were both overthinking the solution, but as soon as someone else said the first answer we immediately got the rest of it. So even though we didn’t really solve the last puzzle, we still ended on a good note.

And after the show was done, we got some Chipotle delivered to my house. It was kind of the opposite of what we do when we see musicals because we normally have dinner first. But I’m glad we got dinner because it really did make the night feel almost normal for what we do. And it’s so good to see someone face to face these days. I wish I had more friends that I could do that with, but I think everyone understands why I’m being so careful and nobody is upset that I have such strict rules about things. But I am looking forward to when that won’t be something to worry about again.

I would love to find more virtual Zoom shows to get to watch. This is a part of what I want to do with my monthly challenge this month. Watching this show was one of the best nights I’ve had in the past year. And I know that I was so much happier the next few days because of it. I just have to put the effort into finding more shows and events, and that’s something I’m working on doing. And hopefully whatever I find will be just as fun as it was to be a part of “Inside The Box”!

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Funko and Frozen (or The Last Pantages Show For A While)

Posted on December 11, 2019 | Comments Off on Funko and Frozen (or The Last Pantages Show For A While)

I’ve been going to the Pantages shows for a while now and it really feels like a normal part of my routine. I know that I would feel like something was missing if I didn’t have my shows in my schedule and I’m so glad that I have several more shows this season to look forward to. But technically the show I had this past weekend was my last Pantages show of the season since the shows are moving to the Dolby to finish out the season. The Dolby and Pantages aren’t too far from each other so some of our routine will be the same, but I also know that things will be a bit different. Plus, our seats will be in a different spot than we have had for the last few years. But I’m excited about the change and I’m sure it will be fun.

We were worried for a while that with the location change that we wouldn’t be able to go to our normal dinner places, but I think we’ve figured out a way to do it so this time we decided for a casual dinner at Shake Shack before the show. But before we had dinner, we remembered that the Funko store had just opened up on that block and Dani wanted to check it out. I don’t collect Funko and don’t know too much about them, but I heard this store was huge and I was curious about what was inside.

And the store was amazing and overwhelming! There were so many Funko displays and so much to look at. They also had other fun things for sale and I loved seeing all the Disney stuff they had. But one of the coolest things they had inside the store were awesome photo spots. And as soon as Dani spotted this one, we knew we had to take a photo with it.

It reminded me of the photo setup that Marie and Chris had at their Halloween party several years ago. I didn’t take many other photos inside of the store because I was busy checking out everything they had. Even if you don’t collect Funko, it’s still a fun store to wander around and see what they have.

After going through the store and having our dinner, it was time to head over to the Pantages for our show.

I’ve seen the original “Frozen” movie (I haven’t seen the sequel just yet) and while I enjoyed it I don’t know if I would say it’s my favorite Disney movie. I think by the time I saw it I had heard so much hype about it so that made my expectations really high. I don’t think it’s a bad movie or anything, but it’s just not one of the top ones. But I had heard that the musical wasn’t exactly like the movie (the musical at California Adventure is much more of a copy of the movie). I knew there were some songs in the show that weren’t in the movie and that a few plot points were either removed or added. So I was intrigued to see what I would think about the musical.

It was a bit annoying that there were a ton of kids that were probably too young to be at a show seated by us (one kid said “I’m tired” or “Is it over?” to their parent every few minutes). And I was worried that it would turn into a singalong with kids singing all the songs. But I don’t think I heard anyone singing in the audience for the entire show. But those were the only negatives or big concerns going into the show.

I have to say that it was one of the better musicals I’ve seen in a while! I loved the changes they made in the show and they were worked seamlessly into the original material. And the sets and costumes were spectacular. At intermission, I turned to Dani and said how that was one of the best ends of the first act I’ve seen in a long time. It was just perfect how they did it and it looked really luxurious, which is something that you don’t always get with a touring show. I know there were some changes made between the Broadway show and the tour, but since I haven’t seen the show on Broadway I didn’t know what was missing or added. But whatever they did, I felt like they did a great job.

I wasn’t exactly hesitant about seeing this show, but it wasn’t one that made me want to buy this season. But I’m so glad it was a part of the season because it was a great one to see and I’ve been recommending it to so many of my friends. And I think it was the perfect show to end the shows at the Pantages. I’ll be back there for “Hamilton” in the spring, but I don’t know when our season will be back there. They haven’t announced anything with the next season or where the shows would be. By the time they announce it, I think we will have seen at least a few shows at the Dolby so we can decide if we want to do a season there and where we want to sit if the next season is there as well.

I’m so glad that we had an awesome show to close out this part of our season. And now I’ve got a new venue to look forward to!

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Broadway Princess Party (or Fate Allowed For Some Dreams To Come True)

Posted on November 26, 2019 | Comments Off on Broadway Princess Party (or Fate Allowed For Some Dreams To Come True)

This post is seriously all about things coming into place the way they are supposed to and how fate can be an amazing thing. Over the summer, I went to a show at the Bowl and mentioned how sitting in the picnic area near me was Laura Osnes, a Broadway star that I have dreamed of seeing live. I didn’t bother her that day, but I said in that post that hopefully one day I would get to see her perform in person. Only a few weeks after that night out, I saw a post online that the Broadway Princess Party was coming to the Rockwell! That show was created by Laura Osnes and it is her and other Broadway stars singing Disney princess songs. I immediately checked with Dani to see if she wanted to go, and she said yes so I got us tickets. I splurged on getting the best seats I could because this was someone I really had dreamed of seeing perform and I figured it was worth the money.

I was so excited that I was going to see the show and I felt like it was fate that I was able to get tickets after just saying that hopefully one day I’d get to see her perform live. But then a month or so later, Dani let me know that she couldn’t make it to the show. She had warned me that her work schedule might change so I knew this might happen, but I was sad she couldn’t come with me. But this ended up being another twist of fate because I remembered a friend of mine that I know through union service might be perfect to come with me.

Jackie is also a member of my union slate and I remembered her mentioning to me in the past that she knew Laura Osnes. I didn’t know the specifics, but when I found out that I needed a new person to come with me I immediately asked Jackie if she wanted to join me. She said yes and I was so excited because she was thrilled to be coming with me. I found out the next day that Jackie emailed Laura to say that we were coming to the show and that was even more amazing! Jackie said that we would get to talk to her after the show and I couldn’t believe it. I knew this was going to be the best show ever!

Jackie and I had spent time together with union work, but this was the first time we got to hang out socially and I’m so glad that we had this time. I picked her up for the show and on the way there she was telling me all about her life and the amazing work she has done over the years. She has been in this industry for decades and she has worked with so many Hollywood legends. It was like hearing the history of Hollywood and it was incredible!

We got to the Rockwell a bit early, but as soon as they opened we went to our table so we could order our dinner. We didn’t want to have to eat during the show, so ordering early was important. And we got a selfie together because Jackie wanted to send a photo to Laura saying we were there.

Once the show started, I was just speechless. Not only was it an amazing show and Laura, Courtney Reed, and Susan Egan were so talented, but it was exactly what I hoped it would be and I just couldn’t believe that I was there.

I loved all the performances and the special guests were so great too. And getting to see Laura perform really was something that I have dreamed of doing for so long and it was just unreal that it was happening. I don’t fangirl over actors that often, but for some reason, this was just that much more special to me and didn’t feel like I was seeing one of my peers as it does for most actors I meet.

And Jackie was enjoying the show just as much as I was. She had seen it before a few times, but I think it changes up so it was different from the other times she had seen it. And she loves Laura so much and loves seeing her perform so I know she was having fun there just like I was. I knew the show couldn’t go too long because there was a second show later that evening, but it still felt like it came to a close way too soon. When everyone was on stage at the end for the final song, I was sad it was done but I also felt like I just saw the perfect show.

When the show was done, I knew there was a meet and greet and Laura had told Jackie that she would come to see us between the end of the show and the start of the meet and greet. And that’s exactly what she did! We saw her looking for Jackie and as soon as she saw her she rushed to us to say hello. I really tried to not be too crazy, but I just couldn’t believe I was getting to meet Laura. Jackie introduced her to me and the first thing she did was give me a huge hug to thank me for coming to the show.

She is honestly one of the sweetest and nicest people I have met and she genuinely was excited to meet me and so happy to see Jackie. I was able to tell her how I had wanted to see her perform for years and how much I loved the show. Getting to tell someone that is rare so I was so grateful I had that time. And of course, we had to get a selfie of the 3 of us to remember the evening.

And I wanted to make sure I took a photo of Jackie and Laura together and I love the photo I got of the two of them.

Laura had to get to the meet and greet then so we said our goodbyes and Jackie and I headed back to my car. We also ran into Courtney Reed on the way out and I was able to tell her how much I enjoyed her performance as well. That was amazing too.

In the car ride driving Jackie home, I couldn’t stop thanking her. Seeing the show was going to be amazing enough, but Jackie was able to take it to a new level and make it so much more than I could have imagined. And Jackie loved that because she loves helping other people when she can and she said this was an easy thing for her to do. I told her she is officially my fairy godmother now and I think she liked the new title.

Even though this show was several days ago, I’m still in a bit of shock that this all happened. It was so much more than I could have hoped for and I feel like it was meant to be this way. Of course, I would have loved it if Dani was at the show with me and I know it would have been an incredible evening. But because of fate (and Dani’s work schedule), things fell into place to make it really special and a dream come true.

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Taking Time For A Show (or Seeing Summer)

Posted on November 14, 2019 | Comments Off on Taking Time For A Show (or Seeing Summer)

I feel like a broken record because I am always saying how much I love going to the shows at the Pantages and how much they have benefitted my life. Not only are they awesome entertainment, but they also give a sense of routine or normalcy with my life. When I’m going through a crazy time and I have a show coming up, I know I will take that time to go and that I’m going to have a great time. Or if I’m feeling down for one reason or another, I know the show is going to get me out and social and I’ll be in a better mood. I still can’t believe how much I get out of having my season tickets, but it always makes me so happy when I see a show coming up.

I’m going to write about this a bit out of order by talking about the show first. This time, the show we saw was “Summer” which is the jukebox musical about Donna Summer.

For most jukebox musicals, I know going into it that I will probably know a bunch of the songs even if I don’t know that I know them. Since I’m not a big music person, I expect that I won’t know songs by the name or artist. But they are familiar when I hear them and that’s exactly what happened this time. The show was good and I enjoyed the music, but I wish they had shared more about her life. I thought there was a lot of interesting stuff that was starting to be talked about but then didn’t go into them much further. But since the show was done without an intermission, there’s only so much you can put into a show without making it too long.

But before the show, Dani and I went to dinner at Wood & Vine. Going there is one of our favorite pre-show dinner locations and we were worried about what we were going to do when our shows move to the Dolby soon. When we sat down for dinner, we ordered and then looked at what restaurant options would be over there. There are a lot of chain restaurants so we wanted to find anything interesting and unique. We weren’t having much luck, but we decided that we would have some time to do the research. We wanted to focus on our awesome dinner at Wood & Vine instead of looking up other places.

We got some of our familiar favorites and some new things as well. The Cesar salad was so good! It was really garlicky which I love. We were debating getting another salad but decided to wait until after we had everything else. We also got the vegan risotto with mushrooms which was incredible. It had great seasoning and was very flavorful. The mac and cheese and pork are favorites of ours and I figured we’d get them because we always love them. And for dessert, we were torn on what to get and we shared a few of our favorites and said they could surprise us. We got the banana caramel and butterscotch, which were perfect ways to end the meal.

While we were eating, the manager Wally came over to talk to us. We love chatting with him before the show because he always shares fun things with us about what happened when he saw it or things we should look out for. He was the one who told us that there wasn’t an intermission and I was so grateful he told us before we were sitting in our seats. And we talked about what we were going to do when the shows move to the other theater.

Wally mentioned how there is the subway and I had completely forgotten about that until he mentioned it. There’s a stop right next to both theaters so it would be easy for us to do that. We also could take a rideshare from one place to the other. And there may be some sort of shuttle service that we could use too. Knowing all this made me feel so much better about our dinner options for the other shows because it wouldn’t be too hard to eat where we like to go and still make it to the other theater. We may have to do things a little earlier to make sure we have enough time, but that’s a minor change we would need to make. I would be much happier going to our favorite restaurants a little earlier than having to try new restaurants and maybe not enjoying them as much. Wally gave us a lot to think about and I’m so glad we discussed this so Dani and I can figure out exactly what we want to do.

We still have 1 more show at the Pantages before they switch. And then it will be a very different experience seeing a musical at the Dolby because we will be sitting in a different area than we are used to and it’s a much bigger theater. But I think that even in the new theater, the shows are going to make me just as happy as I am seeing them at the Pantages.

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Kicking Off A Musical Season (or Seeing A Cartoon Brought To Life)

Posted on October 18, 2019 | Comments Off on Kicking Off A Musical Season (or Seeing A Cartoon Brought To Life)

Even after having a crazy weekend at the convention, I wasn’t going home to rest after we were done on Sunday. I finished up with everything in the early afternoon, had a little break to get some lunch, and then it was off to my next adventure for the day.

It was the first musical of the new Pantages season! This season, I’m going with my friend Dani again for the shows. And it will be an interesting season because only the first few shows are at the Pantages. After that, they move to the Dolby and I’m still curious how the shows will work there since it’s a much bigger theater. I’ll have to wait until our shows move there, but for the first few shows, we have the usual seats that we’ve had for the last few seasons.

Dani and I went for dinner before the show and we checked out a ramen place that we’ve walked past almost every time we’ve gone to a show. For some reason, we’ve never gone there and we wanted to check it out. It was really good and ramen was the perfect thing to have before the show. I wanted something warm but not too heavy because I was worried I would fall asleep during the show. I was already tired (both physically and emotionally) but the ramen seemed to perk me up.

I was excited to see “Anastasia”. I love the cartoon and have seen it multiple times. I always thought it would be a good musical since the songs in the movie were really memorable. I’m glad that it was made into a musical so we could see it!

The musical was very similar to the movie. They did change up some of the characters and the magical elements were removed, but it was, for the most part, the same story as the movie. And the songs that were in the movie were used along with lots of new songs, but some of the songs from the movie were in different places. I actually liked where they moved songs to and it almost made it make more sense they way the musical had it done.

The set was interesting with being just a few walls with pillars and having screens where the windows would be as well as long the back. It made it easy for the show to change locations and made it really fun to watch when things were supposed to be moving in the background. For example, when they were on a train the screen in the background showed the tracks and the landscape moving. There were a few moments I didn’t love the screens, but overall I think that was a smart design idea and it helped make the stage seem full without a lot of set pieces or props.

And I think one of the best things in this show were the costumes. They were incredible! We are lucky that our seats aren’t too far from the stage so we do get to see some of the details on the costumes, but I wish I could have looked at them closer. I saw some photos online and they have so much detail work on them and the work was impeccable. Even if we sat in the first row, I don’t know if we could have appreciated all the work that was done. But you can still tell even when seeing them from a distance that they were done with a lot of care.

We did have some annoying audience members seated behind us that felt like singing along and talking during the show was appropriate (and they wouldn’t quiet down). It’s unfortunate when there are people in the audience who don’t respect the performers and the theater in general. We have been lucky that we rarely have bad audience members near us for all the shows we go to. But when it happens, it’s extra annoying.

But despite the bad audience members, I really did enjoy the show. I really wanted to see a show that was easy to watch and also a bit of an escape. And that’s exactly what this was. I didn’t want to watch anything dramatic or serious because I had dealt with so much the few days prior. And this show was perfect to help me feel better and that’s one of the things I love about having these musical seasons. Before I started doing this again, I forgot how much going to shows was self-care for me. And now I get another year of shows to look forward to.

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