First Musical

This weekend we took Reese to her first musical. It was a special occasion and bedtime went by the wayside so we could take her to the Zilker hillside production of "Annie."

A little back story: Kevin and I have been attending the summer musicals in the park for almost ten years now--it amazes us to look through the programs each summer and realize how many productions we've seen. When we first went, we had no idea what to expect, we just packed a picnic and figured it was an evening of free entertainment. We were blown away by the quality of the production--everything from the stage, to lighting and sound, costumes, dancers, and acting were top notch. Since then, our picnics have gotten slightly more extravagant (we swing by Central Market on the way, and make it a "gourmet" experience) and we know the tricks on parking, arriving early, and getting a good seat. It's also been fun to see friends and colleagues of ours participate in the productions--this was actually the first year we didn't know someone in the cast or orchestra.

Knowing we'd be braving the evening heat with a toddler and a pregnant lady, we took our time getting a picnic secured at Central Market and making our way south to the park. We tried to explain to Reese what we were going to do, but it quickly became clear that "going to the park" was the only part that made sense to her.

The shows start around sundown (~8:30PM aka WAY past bedtime), and generally last until 11pm. We had NO intentions of staying after intermission. We ate our picnic, tried to hide in the shade, and successfully kept Reese entertained until the show started. The first few scenes of "Annie" captured her attention immediately (probably because they involved children, but who doesn't love singing and dancing?). She was remarkably well behaved during the entire first half of the performance. She tuned out during most of the speaking parts, but as soon as there was singing and dancing, she was standing on our blanket, dancing, and jumping around. As part of the production, the cast worked with a dog rescue group and trained a rescue dog to play the part of Sandy. Reese was in love--she squealed with delight every time the dog came on stage. "It's a DOGGIE!" she'd yell. Luckily the people around us thought her enthusiasm and commentary were adorable.

We hit the road at intermission like planned and made it home by 10:20PM. Sweaty, covered in bug spray, and tired, Reese went straight to bed. Since the experience, she's talked a lot about how it was dark outside during the show, how the kids in the show jumped on their beds (during "It's a Hard Knock Life"), and lots about the doggie. Despite a mild case of heat exhaustion for Mommy, we're calling the whole experience a success. We may look for some more indoor venues for our theater experiences in the near future, but I'm sure we'll be back at the hillside next summer (anyone want to babysit a 9 month old sometime next July?).