I spent a fabulous Sunday afternoon at the Fox Theater in St. Louis yesterday for one of the season’s last showings of Phantom of the Opera. This is now officially a tradition started by my daughter Tobi’s sister-in-law when we saw Wicked together three years ago.
Tobi and I went with her mother-in-law and sister-in-law and we two mother-daughter duos all had dinner together afterwards. The show was wonderful. None of us had ever seen the musical before, yet I was surprised that I knew almost every song.
We had great seats above the floor, which was perfect for views of the chandelier, orchestra pit, and all the scenes playing out on the stage. The sets were absolutely incredible, but unfortunately no photos were allowed during the production.
When Ken and I were newlyweds, we lived close enough to New York City that we were able to see a couple of Broadway shows, Grease and Shenandoah. Later, when I was pregnant with our youngest daughter, I won a pair of season tickets to Wichita Music Theater and we saw a whole season of great theater productions. We only missed the last one because I was about to have a baby!
I can’t wait to see next year’s theater schedule. Do you enjoy musicals and the theatre? What are some favorites you’ve seen and in which theater?
Before I go, a quick reminder that The Christian Fiction Reading Challenge ZOOM with author Katherine Reay will be tomorrow night, Tuesday, February 24!
If you signed up at www.christianfictionreadingchallenge.com you will be receiving the link to join in the fun. We only have 500 seats so arrive on time, but don’t worry, if we run out of spots, we’ll post the interview afterward to be sure you get to enjoy it too. We’re so excited with the level of enthusiasm over this bookclub! And if you haven’t joined us yet, it’s not too late. All the information is at the link above.
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We love musical theatre! We have season tickets to Broadway Dallas and to our local community theatre. Last week we got to see the musical The Great Gatsby. I’m always leery when they take literature to another form, but I thought they did a great job. The performers were (apparently) better than the ones my daughter saw in the same show on Broadway. But I thought the songs were excellent in telling the story, too.
Good point about taking literature to another form, D’Ann. I wish I had researched more about Phantom before we went so I could have understood the nuances of the story told almost exclusively through music! Broadway Dallas sounds like something we need to check out next time we’re there!
What a GORGEOUS theater! Wow.
My youngest daughter fell in love with musicals in 1st grade and is still performing in them now in 11th grade. So I’ve seen lots and lots of musicals, both the ones she’s been in and professional productions. This particular interest of hers has been so much fun for me because I happen to love musicals, too. 🙂
I’ve loved following your daughter’s performances, Becky, since my now almost-15-year-old granddaughter has been in several Christian Youth Theater Dallas productions. We even got to be there for a night when she starred as Willy Wonka! 🙂 It’s a fun pursuit and SO fantastic for instilling confidence and poise in kids!
This sounds like a wonderful tradition that you have begun. It’s a lovely picture of all of you.
I love musicals and have attended a number of the traveling Broadway productions at Chrysler Hall, a beautiful theater in Norfolk, Virginia. I have a funny Phantom story of when it played here from Nov, 1995 – early Jan, 1996. Our daughter had moved to California in 1991 for a job opportunity, a year after graduating from college. She was coming home for Christmas in 1995, so I decided to get tickets to Phantom for our family (5 people at that time). I had been working so hard for about two weeks, shopping, baking, wrapping gifts, and decorating. The only tickets I could get for the time she was home meant we were going straight to the theater after picking her up from the airport. Everything worked out time wise, and we were all settled in the theater. About ten minutes after the show started, I fell asleep and missed the show!
That sounds like something I would do, Betty! I have a funny story that fits right in with yours: Our daughter had been up until 2 a.m. Saturday night, so when she started getting sleepy at the theatre yesterday, she searched her purse for some gum, but couldn’t find any. She leaned over to ask if I had any and I leaned toward her at the same time and our glasses smashed into each other and in the process of getting untangled, I somehow scraped my cheek on the corner of her glasses and ended with a scratch on my cheek! It stung, but I didn’t even notice it had drawn blood until I was washing my face before bed!
Thanks for sharing. Hope your cheek and glasses are okay!
I love your story (above) about the glasses as well as Betty’s about dozing off. Most of all I love your Fox Theater story! What a spectacular building! We have a Fox Theater hear in Spokane, a place we loved as kids for a movie! Today it belongs to our Spokane Symphony Orchestra and is still very grand, just the one in St. Louis. It always makes me happy that beautiful old buildings like both of them are still going strong! Thanks for sharing, Deb!
I agree, Lynne. I love old buildings. That’s one of the things we loved about Europe. They think a 200-year-old building is “new.” 🙂 They just don’t make them like that any more!
Absolutely! I remember that same feeling in the UK…they sort of roll their eyes at what we think of as old! And they continue to repurpose buildings – just like those Fox theaters – something we Americans don’t. 😟
What a beautiful theater! I would love to attend a show there. I love musicals, but I haven’t seen too many live productions. My daughter and I attend the ACU Homecoming musical almost every year. They are student productions, but they are always well done. My favorite musicals to attend live have taken place at the Sight & Sound Theater in Branson, MO. I’ve seen David, Esther, and Sampson. All with solid biblical screenplays, gorgeous music, and stunning sets. By far my favorite theatrical experience. They even use live animals on stage and in the aisles! If I lived closer I’d be a season ticket holder. 🙂
Oh, Karen! You reminded me that I meant to add a paragraph about the Sight & Sound Theater! We have tickets to see David there with friends next month! I can’t wait! We saw Samson a few years ago and it was incredible! I would have loved to see Esther too! I agree about season tickets. We’re only 4.5 hours away, but that’s a little far when our travel schedule is so crazy.