Music Men And Mermaids: Two Date Nights At The Theater

Late last year, one of my girls (I can't remember which one) asked me why I didn't take them out on "dates." After all, Nathan takes each girl out to dinner on their birthday to a restaurant of their choice; it's their daddy-daughter bonding time, and they look forward to it each year. But I have never done anything similar; I figured I spend a lot of time with the kids anyway, being a stay-at-home parent, and thus I didn't need to take them out. But it turns out that the girls really wanted some one-on-one time with me, as well! So I determined to take them all out on a "date" before the next year was out.

I didn't want to do a dinner, since that was Daddy's "thing." However, I didn't mind including dinner as long as it was a prelude to something else. I tried to find events that would appeal to each girl, based on their personalities. Back in February, I took Lorelai to an NBA game in Phoenix, and it was a blast. After that, I wondered what sorts of "dates" Celeste and Aurora would like. The answer (at least this time around)? Musical theater!

Christian Youth Theater is a nationwide theater program for youth aged 8-18, and they have a thriving chapter in Tucson. Several people we know from Sahuarita (notably including my friend Diana, who directs all the plays at our charter school) have given their kids the opportunity to perform in those shows, and they have raved about how enjoyable they are to watch. I thought it would be a relatively cheap, enjoyable way for my daughters to catch some locally produced musical theater. They might even spot some kids they know on stage!

Celeste was the first one up. We decided to watch CYT's production of The Music Man. I was a little embarrassed to admit to my kids that I'd never actually seen the show before! Thankfully, our friend Elizabeth lent us her DVD of the Music Man film, and we were able to get caught up before watching the show. I was pleasantly surprised to discover that I already knew quite a few of the songs, due to my parents singing them to one another in my home growing up! Turns out, I have had snatches of "Marian [The Librarian]", "76 Trombones," "Ya Got Trouble," and "Gary, Indiana" running through my head for decades, without fully connecting them to The Music Man. So thanks, Mom and Dad, for the subliminal Broadway education!

We did grab a quick dinner out before the show. It was Celeste's choice!

Afterwards, we hustled to the south campus of Pima Community College to watch the performance. Celeste felt so grown-up and excited to be watching the play. Although she had just finished performing in her school's presentation of The Wizard Of Oz, the show we were to watch that night was a full version, not a shortened junior version of the show that our charter school usually does. Knowing that made Celeste feel quite sophisticated.

We were very impressed with the performance! The actors were all wonderful: amazing singing voices, comedic timing, and coordination. The sets, costumes, props, and music was all terrific too. It was a very good bargain for such an enjoyable show. Celeste really liked the show, but it may have been a little long for her; she almost fell asleep towards the very end. We also caught sight of Diana's two oldest daughters in the cast (they were both in the chorus of the show). Best of all, the part of Marian was played by Autumn, the daughter of a Sahuarita family I know. I accompanied Autumn in church once on the piano late last year, and I was very impressed by her lovely singing voice. It was great to hear her show that talented voice off as Marian!

After that night, I wasn't sure if Aurora was interested in going to see a full Broadway-style musical. I worried she wouldn't be able to stay awake through it. But when I found out that the next play in question was Disney's The Little Mermaid, I knew I would have no choice but to accompany Aurora to see that show.

This time, the final show took place on the University of Arizona's campus, in a smaller performance hall. Aurora and I grabbed some dinner...

...and then got settled to watch the show. Aurora was so excited she could barely hold still; The Little Mermaid is one of her very favorite Disney movies, and she didn't want to miss a single minute. I especially loved the shirt she picked out just for the occasion.

I have seen the Disney film many, many times, but I'd never heard any of the "extra" songs that had been written for the musical. While I didn't find most of the new songs terribly exciting (with one or two big exceptions), they did do a good job fleshing out the supporting cast and strengthening the romance between Ariel and Eric...two things I felt the original film needed to address better. Aurora eagerly waited for each new song, and would often sing along.

Just as Celeste before her, though, Aurora couldn't quite make it through a full-sized stage production. She was snoring on my lap before Ariel and Eric could get their fist kiss as a couple. I suspect she was fine missing the "gross" kissing, anyway.

I managed to wake her up in time to get a few photos with the cast afterwards:

 

This time, Diana's daughter Rebecca was one of the Mersisters (Ariel's older sisters). Her next daughter Sara was one of the lead company dancers. Diana's niece Shannon was portraying a "human princess/possible love rival" to Prince Eric. And everyone was super excited to see them perform. Just as with The Music Man, I was incredibly impressed with the level of talent on display. These kids are at the next level up from our school's talent pool; it was amazing to see them all come together so quickly (the turnaround time for Mermaid was only about a month!) and put on such a great, complex, crazy, fascinating production.

Right now, CYT isn't in the cards for my kids; it is just too far for me to drive the kids up to Tucson for practices multiple times a week. Maybe someday we'll give it a shot, but that time is still a ways off yet. But I would love to make more "dates" with my daughters in the future, and I think another night at the theater might be a great way to go! Lorelai and Celeste have had so much fun doing their school plays that it might be a great opportunity for them to see what a more "professional" theater group can do! Here's to many other fun theater experiences for our family in the future.