When it feels like my life is in chaos and the stress of the world around me seems on the edge of imploding … I head to the theater. I have always loved the performing arts and its ability to transport me to a different, oftentimes better, world. Whenever life dishes out its tough moments, the theater offers me an escape that real life cannot. And I think we all need to get away from real life every once in a while.
Exactly eight years ago, I wrote an article for Wednesday Journal titled, “Eight girls & a limo: our date with Alexander Hamilton.” Hamilton was all the rage in 2017, as I’m sure readers will remember. The record-breaking show seemed to be part of every conversation, along with an accompanying earworm soundtrack, for everyone who was lucky enough to score tickets. I organized the outing with my sisters and our daughters, and it was a day I will not soon forget.
Eight years later, I pulled it off again — limo and all — with a little twist. This cultural excursion, again a party of eight, included my daughters and daughters-in-law, as well as the three oldest of our four grandchildren (sorry about that, Ethan).
Annie recently came through Chicago from Broadway on a limited three-week run. As I mentioned in the 2017 article, Annie had always been a family favorite while growing up, and this as a great opportunity to take the kids to a live “children focused” show. I had introduced Lily, 11, and Luke, 9, to live theater as soon as they were old enough to sit in the seats — with boosters of course: Mary Poppins, Aladdin, The Lion King, Disney on Ice, and now Annie. This would be the first live theater show that 5-year-old Emmett would be attending, an expensive litmus test that he passed with flying colors.
The gorgeous Chicago Theatre, with stage lights, colorful scene sets, live orchestra accompaniment, not to mention a real live dog on stage playing Sandy, kept all of us engaged and enchanted for the duration of the show. Throw some popcorn and a few fruit snacks into the mix for good measure and the 2½-hour production flew by.
I am a firm believer in exposing children to the arts, whether it be in small local theaters, school productions, or big Broadway shows. Of course, it depends on their age and attention span (I know a lot of adults, for that matter, who cannot sit through a musical), but the benefits of that exposure can be life-changing. It fosters creativity, imagination, communication skills and patience. They learn a respect for the work of the performers, as well as the audience around them, due to the sustained focus necessary to follow a storyline. The Performing Arts are an important part of our history as humans. It has been used by our ancestors throughout the ages to tell stories, share history, and express feelings.
So this holiday season, be on the lookout for plays and musical productions that might catch the imagination of the youngsters in your life; see for yourself how their faces light up with excitement and awe. Those small moments will make it all worthwhile.
After Annie ended, and the standing ovations finished, as we were gathering our belongings, Emmett started to cry. When we asked him what was wrong, he replied, “I’m just so happy.”
Me too, Emmett.