Tag Archives: theater

Part 1 Of A Family Visit (or Letting My Parents Relax A Bit)

Posted on September 17, 2019 | Comments Off on Part 1 Of A Family Visit (or Letting My Parents Relax A Bit)

My parents were visiting me for two days last week. Their stop in LA was the end of their vacation, but it was timed that way for a show that we had tickets for (that I’ll be writing about tomorrow). They had visited my brother and sister-in-law for the beginning of their trip and then they were in Catalina for several days. Their trip to Catalina was a bit more adventurous than the trip I did earlier this year. They did a lot of hiking, kayaking, and exploring while they were there. So I wanted to make their LA stop as relaxing as possible.

They got to LA on Thursday afternoon while I was still working. Even though they could have come over to my house while I was working, they took a bit of time to themselves to check in to their hotel and do a walk around Culver City. They came over when I was done, which was probably for the best since work has been picking up a lot lately.

Before my parents came, I had asked them what they wanted to do the night they arrived. We didn’t plan anything for that night and I knew that just sitting around and doing nothing wouldn’t be the best option. They asked me what I usually like to do in the evenings, but I knew my typically after work stuff wouldn’t be right. We weren’t going to go to Disneyland for a few hours, I wasn’t going to bring them to a union event, and I already knew being lazy wasn’t the right thing. So I started looking around for shows that we could potentially go to.

My parents don’t go to plays or musicals that often, but they do enjoy them. Unfortunately, it seemed like last week was between the seasons for so many places. But I did remember that a friend of mine sent me information regarding free preview tickets for the Mark Taper, so I took a look at that and my parents agreed it would be something interesting and different to do.

We also made dinner reservations downtown so we could just drive there and stay there. Of course, we were driving during rush hour traffic and it took us a long time to get there, but we gave ourselves plenty of time to drive so it was fine. We parked at the theater and made it to the restaurant right at the time of our reservation.

Sorry for not having any dinner pictures, but I was more focused on spending time with my parents. Even though I talk to them all the time, it’s different when you get to spend time in person. They were asking me things about the election and the upcoming convention. This is my 3rd convention, but it’s still a weird concept to even union members who aren’t a part of it. And I know even more now than I did before so I could explain what happens more. And my parents had seen some of the news about the election and I could update them on some of the craziness.

After dinner, we went up to the theater. My mom hadn’t been to the Mark Taper since she lived in LA (so at least 50 years ago) and my dad had never been there. It was cool to get to introduce and re-introduce my parents somewhere. And we were at the theater early enough to get to spend time on the patio in front talking more and enjoying the view of downtown LA.

The show that we went to was “A Play Is A Poem”. It is not a full play but actually 5 different 1 act shows that aren’t directly connected. The only thing they have in common is that all the 1 act shows take place in America.

We didn’t know much about the show and sometimes that is a good thing. I figured I would just be enjoying the different plays and hopefully my parents would enjoy them too.

This was the second night of previews for the show, so I don’t know if anything will be changing before it officially premieres. I did enjoy the show overall, but I didn’t love all the 1 acts. There were 2 that I thought were really great and would actually like to see as a full-length show, 2 that were good but not my favorite, and 1 that I didn’t enjoy. My parents felt the same and from listening to people leaving the theater, many people had the same opinion. I’m still glad we went because I love going to the theater, I just wish that it was a show that we all loved and were super enthusiastic about.

After the show, my parents drove me back (which was significantly faster than our drive there) and then they headed back to their hotel which was only a few minutes from my house. They had a busy travel day and I knew they were probably tired because I was exhausted. And my dad and I had an early morning the next morning for our workout.

Plus, we were all excited and wanting to get some sleep for our exciting outing the next day. But I’ll be writing about that tomorrow.

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Last Musical Of The Season (or A Classic Pantages Night Out)

Posted on July 24, 2019 | 2 comments

This past Sunday was the last show for my current season at the Pantages. This has been a great season and I have really enjoyed it. Even the shows I didn’t love were still enjoyable and I was glad that I got to see a bunch of classic shows that I hadn’t seen before or had never seen on a big stage.

It’s been a slightly different season this past season because my group had a few date conflicts from time to time. We rarely all made it to a show, which was fine. But I do wish that we had been able to go as a group more often. And for this last show, it was just me and my friend Dani as the other 2 people in the group couldn’t make it.

But Dani and I had a lot of fun. We started our evening at one of our favorite pre-show dinner places.

I think this was the first time that it was just 2 of us for dinner at Wood & Vine. One of the things I love about Wood & Vine (besides the amazing food) is that everything is designed to be shared with the table. That allows us to order so many different things so we can try a lot and not be overwhelmed by too much food. But with just me and Dani, we had to limit what we ordered so we weren’t stuffed.

For our dinner, we got some of our favorite things like the charred romaine salad, the pork shanks, and the shells and cheese. They were all as good as we remembered them and I think we ordered the perfect amount with a mix of some healthier options and some splurges. And since we made our dinner reservation on the earlier side, we had plenty of time to enjoy the food and patio before we had to head across the street for the show.

But before we left, the manager at Wood & Vine sent us 2 of the new desserts on their menu to try.

We got to try the dark chocolate cake and the banana caramel cream. The dark chocolate cake was so luxurious! It was like the most perfect mousse and the caramel on the side was so good! But I think my new favorite dessert is the banana caramel cream. It was one of the lighter desserts we’ve had there and the perfect summer dessert. It wasn’t overly sweet and every bite was a little different. I hope the banana caramel cream stays on the menu because I know I want to get it again!

Once we paid for dinner, we headed across the street to the theater for our show. And just like so many shows this season, this was another one I had seen before.

I had only seen “Miss Saigon” one time before and it was almost 19 years ago. I saw it on my 17th birthday when I was in New York on my drama club trip in high school. I remembered the show a bit and had some random memories of things like how we learned how some of the actors had to wear their mike packs under their wigs instead of on their backs. It’s so odd what I remembered about the show, but I was excited to get to see it again to remember more of it.

Once the show started I remembered how much there is in the plot. It’s very busy to get in the story and it can be confusing. I, fortunately, remembered enough about it to be able to follow along well. I also took a glance at the main plot points online before going to the show, so that probably helped too. But it still was a bit overwhelming to watch it again.

Also, this show had some of the most obstructed views for us. Because we do cheap seats, we are off to the side. And because of how the set was done, we didn’t get to see a few moments that were far off to the side. We didn’t miss much, but it does make me a little sad whenever we have a blocked view like we did that night.

But even with how busy the show is and the obstructed view from time to time, it was still an amazing show. It was just as good as I remembered it and I loved the performances. Everyone was very talented and I especially loved The Engineer. He was so funny and Dani and I joked how there should be just a show of him and his fun songs. His character brought some needed levity to the show because it is a very heavy show. Even though I knew that going in, it still hit me really hard.

And I think it hit me hard because of some of the things that Dani and I discussed after the show. Whenever you see a show, you see it from a specific viewpoint and mindset. And when I saw this show before, it was a different time. And now, with there being so much hate regarding immigrants and the “other”, this show connected on a different level. It was similar to how I connected to other shows this season that weren’t as heavy for me in the past. It’s interesting to have very different memories of seeing this show, but they both are good memories and make me think of very different things which isn’t bad.

Our first show for next season is in October, so it is a bit longer until the show than I originally thought. For some reason, I thought our new show started at the end of August. But that’s ok because we have had a lot of shows recently and it will be a little break. I do have another musical thing this weekend, but it’s a little different (and I’ll write about that next week). Looking back at the entire season, it’s very close to what I thought it would be before the season started. Lots of fun shows, some great classics, and a chance to see a show again that I hadn’t seen in a very long time. Next season will be very different, but I’m excited about that!

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Finally Seeing A Popular Show (or It’s “Rent” Time!)

Posted on July 18, 2019 | 1 comment

There have been so many shows this season at the Pantages that are either classics or very popular shows. I’ve been loving the season, especially since it is letting me see a bunch of shows that I hadn’t seen before but have been wanting to see for a while. And no matter what show we are seeing, I love going to live theater and I can’t imagine what it would be like without having shows to see on a regular basis.

The current season is almost over, although the next season starts soon so it won’t feel like a big gap in time between shows. And the show we got to see this past weekend was one that I was so excited to see because I had never seen it on a big stage before.

I feel like “Rent” is a show that every theater nerd has seen at some point. And technically, I had seen it too. But I had only seen it in a small community theater production and in the film/live tv versions before. So I was familiar with the show, but it is still different seeing it in a large theater compared to on a screen or in a small theater where they didn’t have sets and I believe they may not have done all the songs.

My group for seeing the shows this season has been 4 of us, but one person in the group couldn’t make it so it was going to be 3 of us. Then, at the last minute, another person from the group couldn’t make it and they asked us if we knew anyone who wanted the ticket. We started texting our friends and a friend of mine wanted the ticket and was able to get to the theater in time. And it turned out, all of us were new to seeing the show this way so it was even more exciting!

Since I had seen other versions of the show before, I was familiar with the plot. And the live tv version wasn’t that long ago so I was more familiar than I have been with most shows even though this was kind of a new show for me. It was an interesting way to see the show since it was new and familiar at the same time. I also think it allowed me to not feel as confused in the beginning as I have with some new shows. I was still able to be into the show and not expecting what would come next, but I wasn’t shocked and had to get past anything.

The show was exactly how I expected a full production to be. It had the set that I had seen in photos from other big productions and the performers were awesome. I will say this is one of the first shows that made me feel a bit old because all the performers were adults but young (when it’s a show full of kids, I don’t feel old). There were a few moments I didn’t love and some characters that didn’t have the chemistry I was expected to see, but overall it was a great show.

This tour is technically the 20th-anniversary tour (the tour started 3 years ago when the premiere was 20 years ago) and even though the show is not current it still feels that way. The AIDS crisis isn’t the same as it was back in the early 90s, but there are still so many health issues that feel just as hopeless or overwhelming. And the idea of not being able to afford bills and affordable housing being torn down for expensive homes is a current issue that I feel I know well. I have said that I literally cannot afford to move because every place near me is significantly more expensive than what I pay right now.

And of course, the idea of being an artist and wanting to have your work out there is something very close to me. I understand the frustration of trying to make something and wanting to make sure that your legacy includes the work that you created. That concept a big focus of the show, but I think it hits even harder considering that the writer of “Rent” died the night before it opened. He worked so hard on writing the show and getting it seen by others. And it’s so sad that he never got to see what “Rent” became and how it is a must-see show according to most people who like musicals.

This was one of the few shows that did make me cry. I don’t usually cry when seeing a musical, but I think when something connects so well with me I can’t help it. I was moved by what I saw and when I feel like that I can’t hold it in. And I think all 3 of us in the group felt the same way. We left the show a bit emotionally drained and a bit motivated to get out there and work hard on what we love to do. It was an incredible way to leave a show and I loved it.

There’s only one more show this season and it will be this weekend. And it will only be 2 of us going due to scheduling issues. And then next season, it will be me and my friend Dani. But shows are awesome to go to with just 2 of us or with a big group. For me, as long as I have one friend to go with, I have an awesome time. And I’m so happy that this will keep going for at least another year and I can’t wait to see how the last show of this season and all the shows next season will connect with me.

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Les Miserables (or Another Classic 19 Years Later)

Posted on May 23, 2019 | Comments Off on Les Miserables (or Another Classic 19 Years Later)

My group is coming to an end to our season at the Pantages. We only have 2 more shows left and they are both in July. After that, one friend and I will be continuing for the next season which will be starting in October. But I will miss the group we have this year because it’s been so great (I miss my group from last year too). It has been a great season this season and I’ve said it many times that I’m loving seeing classic shows again or shows that I’ve seen before. And this week the show was another show I was familiar with.

Before this week, I think I had only had seen “Les Miserables” one other time on stage. I saw it when I went to NYC with a high school group 19 year ago. It was an amazing trip and I got to see some incredible shows. One of the other shows I have left for this season is a show that I saw on that same trip (although that show is one I’m not as familiar with). But even though I’ve only seen the show on stage one other time, I have seen other adaptations of it since then. There was the movie a few years ago which did a great job of keeping the adaptation close to the stage show. And I’ve heard the songs in other shows I’ve gone to. Since the show is almost all singing, knowing the songs pretty much means knowing the show.

We were seated up in the mezzanine this time since we were not attending on our usual night. But we were almost in the center which is a nice treat. I do think I still prefer being close to the stage and to the side because I like being able to see the actors’ faces, but being in the center and not having any part of the stage blocked is good too. And even being almost in the back is still close to the stage compared to other theaters. I know that next season won’t be the same because some of the shows are at the Dolby and that’s a much bigger theater. But hopefully our seats there won’t be in the far back.

“Les Miserables” requires some incredible singers. Not only does the show pretty much only have singing and no dialogue, but there are so many songs that I know are technically difficult. I’m not a singer at all, but I still know when a song is tough to sing. So having strong singers is a requirement for the show to succeed. And this touring cast really did have some talented performers! I was getting chills at times during some of the more dramatic songs. I was prepared to cry while watching it since I know I have cried before with this show. Somehow I was able to hold it together, but that didn’t mean I wasn’t emotional or didn’t enjoy it. I just think I was so focused on watching it that I didn’t have the time to have the emotions hit me or make me react.

Something I’ve been enjoying with all these shows I’ve been able to see is how the sets work. I know with touring shows the sets can’t be as elaborate as they are on Broadway or if a show is staying in a theater for a long run. I think most of the shows I’ve seen the past few seasons have had very interesting sets and I’m always fascinated to see what they do and how they use what they put on stage. This show was no different. They used the depth of the stage in a unique way and used the buildings in the town almost like curtains to block the stage to change the sets. Since they didn’t use the regular curtains and had a set acting as them, the show didn’t have to stop when the sets changed and they were still able to use lots of different set options. And they had a screen on the back of the stage that they used for a few moments to convey motion. The first few times they used the screen it surprised me. And toward the end of the show when they used it to show movement in the sewer it was so perfect and I loved what they were able to do without making it look like a movie or theme park ride.

This show was one that my entire group was familiar with and I think we all went into it knowing we’d enjoy it. Obviously with it being a sad show we didn’t leave gushing about how much we liked it or talked about things too much. We all kind of took time to let it sit with us. But even though we weren’t saying it, I think everyone enjoyed it as much as I did.

I’ve got a bit of time now before my last 2 shows this season. But with how quickly time is flying by, I’m sure it will be here before I know it!

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Fiddler On The Roof (or A Modern Take On A Classic)

Posted on April 25, 2019 | Comments Off on Fiddler On The Roof (or A Modern Take On A Classic)

This week was not only filled with musicals, but it was filled with Jewish musicals! I think that was pretty funny timing especially with Passover just being a few days away. Maybe both the Ahmanson and the Pantages timed out their shows to be around the holiday, but I’ll never know for sure. It doesn’t really matter because whenever “Fiddler On The Roof” was in our season I would have been excited to see it.

I’ve seen the show a few times plus I’ve seen the movie. But it’s been a long time since I’ve seen any version of it. But it’s one of the classic musicals that I’ve always loved and I was happy that I would get to see it again. Out of the 4 of us in the group, 2 of us had seen the show before and 2 had not. So it was a mix of those of us excited to see it again and those who were happy to see it for the first time.

My group had to change the dates of a few of our shows due to “Game Of Thrones”, so this was one of our shows that wasn’t on a Sunday in our regular seats. We were up again in the balcony, but we were very centered up there. I’m not sure if this show would have been better up close or not, but I loved the balcony seats that we had.

“Fiddler On The Roof” is not just a classic show in the sense that it was written a while ago, but it takes place a long time ago as well. Because of that, I wasn’t expecting a lot of changes compared to productions that I’ve seen in the past. They obviously won’t be wearing modern clothes while singing about how things have always been for men and women. But this show somehow added a lot of modern touches in it.

There was a moment at the beginning and end of the show that was added for this production that made it more modern, but I’m going to stay vague about it so it’s not spoiled for people who are going to be seeing the show. But I really liked those moments and how it connected the show to the present time. It made me feel like even though we were watching something that would have happened over 100 years ago, it is still relevant to today and we can learn lessons from what happened in the past.

They also added more modern dance moments. Dancing has always been a bit part of the show, but mixing classic and old-fashioned dances with a few more current dance moves was a really fun thing to watch. And the way that the sets were done also felt modern. They used doorways and limited set pieces in really interesting ways and I loved how they created the environment with both more elaborate and simple sets. It was like the mix of classic and modern; having a mix of elaborate and simple made things feel interesting and gave the show some variety and extra interest.

And with almost all shows that I see, the performances were awesome. I loved how each character added some personality into the script. There were some great comedic moments that weren’t expected and the intonation of some of the lines gave things a fresh take. This show has always had interesting asides, but I felt like I saw more of those this time than I remembered from before. Of course, I might be forgetting some of those from the past productions I’ve seen since it has been so long. But either way, it still felt like things had been updated without actually changing what they were saying or the storyline.

Overall, I really enjoyed the show and this production in particular. I think I am more attracted to shows that have large casts and big musical numbers since that is very different from what working in film and tv is like. I love seeing productions that are very different from what I experience with my career. And this show for sure had a big cast and big musical numbers with lots of awesome dancing! It’s exactly what I love to see and this show didn’t disappoint at all!

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An Unexpected Musical (or Seeing A Show At A Different Theater)

Posted on April 23, 2019 | 1 comment

Because I have my season tickets to the Pantages, I don’t usually look at what shows are happening at other theaters around LA. I know that from time to time I have looked at other seasons and sometimes I do buy tickets for a show if I really want to see it, but that’s pretty rare. It’s not that I don’t like other theaters, but I usually don’t have the money to buy more tickets and when I see shows I want to see it’s often at the end of the run and there are no more seats left. I could be more proactive about seeing what other shows I want to see, but it’s not a huge priority for me right now (if I had all the money I needed to see everything, I think it would be different).

But I do love seeing shows at other theaters when I get the chance to do so. And over the weekend a friend of mine posted online that they had an extra ticket to “Falsettos” at the Ahmanson and they wanted to know if anyone was interested in going. I replied and asked how much the ticket was, and they said that it would be free for me if I wanted to join them! Of course I said yes! I lucked out because the show was on Easter Sunday so a lot of people couldn’t go. But I had no plans so I was excited to have another show to get to see.

I knew nothing about “Falsettos” when I said I’d like the extra ticket. To me, I’m always down to see any musical because you never know what you will like. And I had seen a few friends post about going to see it earlier in the week and everyone was raving about it and encouraging others to go. But once I found out I’d be going, I decided to do a little bit of research on the show so I would have a little bit of an idea about what I was going to see.

I tried to avoid too much information about the plot because I didn’t want things to be spoiled for me. But fortunately there was a lot of information about the creation of the show so I was able to look at that more than plot information. I thought it sounded really interesting that this show was actually created from 3 different 1 act shows. The first act of the current show was based on the second 1 act play and the second act of the current show was based on the third 1 act play. It was a different way to create a show, but it sounded really fun and from the things I read online people enjoyed how each act of the show was a bit different. Even though I knew nothing about the show and I had no clue I was going to see it, I was so ready to see it when Sunday came!

My friends who had the tickets met me at the theater. Since it was a holiday and a weekend, I was able to get to downtown very quickly. I parked in their parking lot because it was just easier to pay the $9 to do that than to search all over downtown for a spot that might be ok to use. I let my friends know when I got there and waited for them by the will call booths.

They got there closer to the start time of the show (which is what we had agreed to) and we had a few minutes to chat and catch up before going inside to head to our seats. I’ve only been to the Ahmanson a few times so I am not as familiar with the seating there as I am with other theaters. But all the times I’ve been there the seats have been good no matter where we were sitting. This time, we were toward the back of the orchestra section near the side. But even the back of the orchestra is pretty close to the stage so we were able to see the actors just fine.

I don’t want to give away a ton about the plot since I think sometimes it’s better to go in knowing very little (and if you really want to know all of the plot you can find it other places online), but the main plot of the show involves a divorced couple, their child, and their new partners. The show does not have dialogue outside of the songs but the songs are clear and easy to follow. The plot isn’t too complicated so that helped with being able to follow it as well.

My quick review of the show is that it was really great! There were some incredible songs and the performances were awesome. I think all of us in the group preferred the second act to the first, which was surprising. There are a lot of times that I feel the second act of a musical goes too quickly to have a conclusion of everything that has happened so far. And when a second act is like that, I usually prefer the first act. But considering that both acts are based off of different 1 act shows it makes it make a bit more sense. And even though I preferred the second act, that doesn’t mean the first act was bad. There was one song I didn’t love, but it was still enjoyable.

I thanked my friends for inviting me to the show and I’m so glad I got to check out a new show. I wish I could do it more often (and that’s why I do my season tickets for the Pantages) and every time I get to see something extra it really is special. And getting to see another show at the Ahmanson was awesome as well since I rarely go there. Maybe one day I’ll have season tickets for there as well and then my life will be even more filled with musicals!

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And Another Season Of Musicals (or The Next Season Will Be A Bit Different)

Posted on April 12, 2019 | 1 comment

There was some debate among my Pantages season ticket group if we would renew for next season or not. I am now always game to renew even if I’m not totally sure on the shows in the season. But the coming season does have a few shows that I am excited to see so I was very happy to renew if at least one other person was going to do so (I don’t want to necessarily go for a season alone). But the rest of the group wasn’t totally sure about it and we gave ourselves some time to figure things out before the deadline to renew and guarantee our seats.

One person in the group quickly decided that they weren’t going to renew. I totally understand why they aren’t going to do it, but I’m still sad that they won’t be a part of the next season. Right before the deadline we set for ourselves, another person decided not to renew as well. At right at our deadline date, the last person decided to go for it so we renewed the season tickets for 2 of us.

As much as I love having a big group to go to the shows, I’m happy that I’ll be going with a friend for the coming season. As long as I’m not going alone, I’m in. So I was so happy that someone else decided to do the next season with me and I can’t wait until we get to see all the shows I’m excited to see and to discover which of the ones I don’t know much about become new favorites! I seem to always be surprised each season by which musicals I end up loving and sometimes a show I wasn’t sure I would like becomes something I really enjoy.

I’ve been doing the Pantages season for a few years now and this next season will be different from the other years I’ve done it. “Hamilton” will be coming back to the Pantages next year and it looks like they will be doing another long run. That show technically is not a part of our new season, but we will have access to get tickets early so that’s a good thing. I definitely want to see it again at least once! And I’ve already told my parents they should come to LA to see the show with me since I know they both would love it (and we haven’t gone to a musical together for over 20 years). But because they will be here for a long run, the season can’t be at the Pantages theater the entire time. So the first few shows of the season will be at the Pantages and then the second half of the season will be moving to the Dolby Theater (where the Oscars are held).

I’ve been to the Dolby before and have been to an event there once. It’s a huge theater and it will be interesting to see how the musicals do on a much bigger stage. I think it will be fun and different and I’m sure it will be just as good on that stage as shows are at the Pantages. And even though it never seems repetitive or routine to go to our shows, I think having something to change it up is exciting and I am really looking forward to it.

And like I’ve said every year when I’ve gotten another season of musicals, I’m just so glad to be getting to do this again. The shows bring so much joy into my life and it makes me have a commitment to go out and have fun. I go to them when I feel amazing and I go to them when I’m feeling nauseous. It’s something to enjoy and make sure that I don’t stay home doing nothing all the time. There are not many social things in my life that have the same commitment as these shows do and I probably should find more things like it so I can make sure I do maintain some sort of regular fun in my life.

But I’m really jumping ahead since I do still have a couple more shows in the current season. I think it’s nice that they are back to back because then there’s not a big gap when I can see shows. And I just get to look forward to everything I get to see! Now I get to enjoy a few more shows that I already have seen and get to look forward to a bunch of new shows and a new theater venue!

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Another New Musical (or An Evening Of Golden Tickets)

Posted on April 4, 2019 | 1 comment

With so many repeat musicals this season for my group, it’s so nice when we get to see something new that none of us have seen. With all of us being big theater people, it is so rare to find a show that is new to us all. In past seasons, that was more common since a lot of shows were new shows that were touring for the first time. I think whenever something is unique in a season it just seems a little extra special.

And this past weekend was one of the few shows that was new to us all. We got to see “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory”.

While it was a new musical, we all were very familiar with the story. I read the book as a kid and have seen the 2 movie versions. But this was the first time seeing the stage production and I knew there were new things in it. Plus, I was excited to see how they were going to accomplish some things that used a lot of movie magic in the movie versions.

We got to the theater early so we decided to go to Wood & Vine for a quick drink first. The manager saw us come in and came over to chat with us. We missed seeing him when we were there the last time, so we caught up on “Cats” and he filled us in about a few things with this show. He really liked the show and thought there were a few things that really stood out to him that he wanted us to make sure we caught. And then he asked us what we were going to drink. I was just going to have water, but he said that we had to try the Golden Ticket drink. I wish I could remember everything that was in the drink, but I do remember that the garish is real gold!

Even though I don’t really drink, I had to try it. It was good and if I had been eating too I probably would have had more. But drinking when I don’t drink on an empty stomach didn’t seem like the best combination. But I was so grateful to the manager for letting us try the drinks!

Once it was closer to showtime, we went across the street to the theater. Since we have changed dates for so many of our shows, we rarely sit in our normal seats. But this show was one that we kept the same so we were back in the orchestra over on the side. But I have to admit I kind of missed being in the balcony. Even though I love being close to the stage to see the actors better, I know we did have some sight line issues. If I could afford it, I would do season tickets one section better so we’d be more centered (but still on the side). But if we do renew our season, going one section better almost doubles the cost of our tickets!

Even with the sight line issues, the show was still awesome! It was very familiar since I knew the book and movies, but there were still new things to experience and enjoy. Most of the songs are original to the musical and they fit in really well with the songs that are from the movies. The sets and costumes were all so bright and colorful and they did a great job making the factory seem as amazing as they can do in a movie.

I also loved that they didn’t tone down things when you compare it to the book. When the kids in the book have their incidents, it’s pretty dark. And that’s pretty much what they did in this show. It’s not gruesome or graphic, but it’s not overlooked or suggested that they were perfectly fine. It made the show more like a dark comedy and I think that was perfect. We were laughing so much during the show and sometimes shocked that they went as far as they did before laughing. It’s still more a show that is appropriate for younger audiences than some other ones, but they made it so it wasn’t just a kid show.

This was the perfect show to see when we saw it. My friends and I all needed something funny to watch because we were all dealing with some other things that were putting us in slightly down moods. And a dark comedy was the best mix of dark and sinister with great laughs that we needed. I left in a much better mood than I arrived in and I was still smiling and giggling thinking back at some of the things we saw in the show.

Our next few shows are all sadder shows, so hopefully I’ll be in the perfect mood for possibly crying while watching!

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Another Dinner And A Show Night (or Classic Musicals And Yummy Food)

Posted on March 20, 2019 | 2 comments

As I’ve mentioned a few times before, the current season at the Pantages has a lot of classic musicals. Most of them I have seen before, but I always love seeing a musical again. But there are a few shows this season that I haven’t seen and sometimes I get a bit nervous about seeing something new if I’m not totally sure I will like it. And the most recent show we saw was “Cats”, and it was one that I was a bit hesitant about.

But before I get to the show, I have to talk about our incredible dinner! We went to Wood & Vine again because it really is our favorite pre-show dinner place. Usually when we go, the manager is there and he likes to make sure we get to try some of his favorite menu items. This time, he was out-of-town so we knew we wouldn’t have his guidance on the food. But the last time we were there, we got to meet the new chef and he and I have become friends on social media. So I reached out to him online to ask if there were any new menu items he thought we should try, and he gave us a few things that he recommended for us and said he would stop by our table at some point to say hello.

The first thing that was recommended was to get the charred romaine salad.

This was the perfect thing to start with and it was nice and light and it didn’t fill us up too much. When we were finishing up the salad, the chef came over to chat with us before the entrees were brought over and it was really nice to get to catch up. He had to rush away when there was something he had to tend to in the kitchen, but it was when our food was served so we turned our focus to eating some delicious things!

We got the shrimp and grits, halibut, and pork shanks. We had the pork shanks before and they were just as good as we remembered them. The shrimp and grits were a bit spicy, but not too spicy for me. And the halibut might be my new favorite! It was so light and flavorful and I loved the spinach cous cous that it was served with.

We weren’t sure if we wanted to order dessert, but because they spoil us so much at Wood & Vine they said they wanted to give us one of the desserts. We have had a few things on the dessert menu in the past, and while they are things we love we decided to go with something new. So we ordered the whiskey cake.

I have never had whiskey cake before and I was worried it would be too filling, but it was another lighter option. We didn’t eat a ton of it because the chef came over again to chat with us a bit more and we had to rush out of there to get across the street to the theater. But the bites I had were so good!

As always, we had the best dinner at Wood & Vine and we really appreciate how much they spoil us there! And it was so much fun having time to chat with the chef before the show because he had already seen it and he was sharing his review with us.

I know that “Cats” is a classic and it seems like everyone has seen it. But I had never seen it before. I was familiar with the song “Memory” and I knew the show was actually about cats (and it wasn’t something deeper than that). And I found out during dinner that the show was not that plot heavy so I was prepared for that. But none of us in the group had seen the show before and we were all a bit hesitant about it.

I will never say that I hate a show, but this show was not one of my favorites. It had nothing to do with the performers. They were amazing and the dancing was incredible. If it was a dance show, I might have liked it a bit more. But I spent so much of the first act trying to understand what was happening. I didn’t know until intermission that all the songs except for “Memory” are the text from poems by T.S. Eliot. Once I found that out things were making a bit more sense for me, but it was still a weird show. I like more plot driven shows and I think even though I knew there wasn’t a heavy plot I kept looking for a deeper meaning or to understand something that wasn’t there.

I was glad that my friends had the same feelings as I did about the show because I really spent a lot of time during the first act wondering if I was just completely missing the point. I think we all were trying to look too much into things and we should have just been sitting back and relaxing. And we were all able to laugh at ourselves a bit after the show for how hard we were trying to figure things out when there was nothing to figure out.

But besides over thinking the show and being a bit confused, it was still a fun night out. And I am glad I can check off another classic musical off of the lists of shows I’ve never seen! And of course, I love any night I get to spend with my friends and have an amazing dinner!

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Another Round Of A Repeat Musical (or Seeing A Show A Different Way)

Posted on February 22, 2019 | Comments Off on Another Round Of A Repeat Musical (or Seeing A Show A Different Way)

With this season at the Pantages being a lot of shows I’ve seen before, I’ve been enjoying seeing how a show connects with me now versus how it connected to me in the past. With many of the repeat shows, they are shows I saw at a different venue and with a different theater group (sometimes community theater versus professional tours) so that is what the focus has been for me when I reflect back on it. But when I’m seeing a show again at the same venue and with the same caliber of performers, I focus on different things.

This week, my group saw “Kinky Boots”.

I saw this show for the first time a little over 4 years ago when it was in my first season that I did at the Pantages. When I saw it the first time, I loved the show and I think I also was still on a high from being so excited that I had season tickets to see more musicals. It really was a great decision for me to get that first season and I know that I was always just so happy that I was seeing anything. There were some shows I liked more than others, but every show was extra magical because I was seeing shows again after not seeing musicals for so long.

And I did enjoy “Kinky Boots” just as much this time as I did 4 years ago. It’s such a fun show and the songs are awesome. I loved this show for so many reasons the first time and I think I loved it for many of those reasons again this time. We were watching the show from the balcony instead of our usual orchestra seats, but being further away from the stage didn’t take away from the show. While I like being able to see the faces clearly of the actors, it’s fun seeing the stage in full when you are further back too.

Out of the 4 of us in our group, 2 of us had seen the show before (my friend Dani was the one who got me in the first time I had season tickets so she saw it then). But the other 2 hadn’t seen the show and I was excited to see their reactions. And I think they loved it just as much as I did. It really is a great show and I think the performers were so talented.

But we all also had a few weird reactions to a few moments in the show. After the Me Too movement and becoming more aware of harassment that I might have brushed off in the past, we all noticed moments in the show that just didn’t sit right with us. I know that shows cannot change with the times and that the writers didn’t mean anything negative or sexist from it, but it was interesting to see how I didn’t notice those moments before. I have become more and more aware of how I have thought things were wrong but normal and now looking back I’ve realized they were not normal and not acceptable. And yes, there is a part of the show that has to be homophobic as lesson to the other characters and that was fine. But there were just little things that I think we all picked up on that just made us think a bit more.

I know that there are so many musicals that I have looked back on and realized that I didn’t think much about a line or an action and now I realize that it is something that I wouldn’t consider acceptable in real life. This is just a sign of how times have changed and not a reflection of what things should be like now. I’m curious to see if I have that feeling about the next few repeat shows I have this season. I have a feeling that I will because there are things I have said out loud when describing the show that made me stop and try to explain why it was that way.

Even with those few moments that made me think or took me by surprise that I didn’t think about it last time, it was still an awesome night out. It was fun that we happened to be there on the opening night of the show for LA (our original tickets were on Oscar Sunday and we didn’t want to be stuck in all the street closures). And sitting up in the balcony was also really fun since that’s not something we do that often. We will have a few more shows in the balcony this season because we have changed the dates of our tickets a few times as well as being seated up there for the add-on shows we did. We are still debating about renewing for next season, but now we are also considering seeing if we can move our tickets to the balcony if we do renew. We’ve had our seats on the side of the orchestra for so long and it might be a fun change to be somewhere new. I guess I’ll have to see what happens if we do decide to do the next season.

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