Previously I blogged about sharing one of my all-time favorite films with my kids in my favorite movie theater. Now I get to share another favorite.
Last night I took August and Déla to see The Music Man – not the movie, but a stage production at Seattle’s 5th Avenue Theater. This wasn’t my first time seeing the production on stage – I had seen a production in 1995 starring Gary Sandy (yes, from “WKRP In Cincinnati”) at Professor Harold Hill at the same theater.
I could go into the theater itself, which is a fantastic work of art, but I won’t. Suffice to say, if you have the chance to see a production at Seattle’s 5th Avenue Theater, please do so.
The Music Man is one of my favorite musicals. There are many great songs and the story is a wonderful snapshot of Americana. Last year the 8th graders at my kids’ school performed a version of The Music Man. It was The Music Man Junior, about an hour long, but it was enough to get them interested.
A couple of weeks after they saw their school production, we watched the film version. I’m sure some of my enthusiasm for sharing a favorite film from my childhood was rubbing off, but the kids seemed to enjoy it. Ciárán, not so much, but he’s a little young. He wandered in and out, but August and Déla sat and watched the whole film.
In September I noticed The 5th Avenue Theater was hosting a production of The Music Man. This was a great opportunity to introduce August and Déla to the thrill of live performance since it was a production they were already familiar with and liked. Tickets were purchased for an evening where they wouldn’t have school the following day (cheaper than the weekend matinee performances).
And we made an evening of it.
I don’t know why she is acting so goofy
We dressed up, not super fancy, but nicer than our usual everyday attire. We went out to dinner at an (overpriced but still family friendly) restaurant that was within walking distance of the theater.
The kids were in awe of the theater. The whole thing is a work of art with details virtually everywhere. There is simply not a lock of things to look at. As we settled into our seats the realization crept in that there were real musicians that would be performing. We could almost see them (the orchestra pit wasn’t completely open and our seats weren’t quite as advantageous as I would have liked).
Déla especially loved The Music Man. At first, during the overture she didn’t know what to expect and thought it was boring. When the curtain did rise and the opening number commenced, she immediately turned around. August enjoyed himself and appreciated the live performance, but Déla really took to it. When Professor Harold Hill enters the library and the opening strains of “Marian, The Librarian” started Déla turned to me and said “My favorite!”
It was highly enjoyable to take them to see live musical theater. It’s a form of entertainment that quite often gets looked down upon, but it has so much to offer. I am looking forward to introducing Ciárán and Xavier to the art form as they get older, as well as taking August and Déla to more productions in the years to come.
Live music. Live acting. Live singing. It can’t be beat, and I love being able to introduce my kids to the joys of it.