Tale As Old As Time, Song As Old As Rhyme

Ok, I was really hoping for Wicked or Wizard of Oz tickets for my musical but it just didn't happen. Wicked never came to our area at an opportune time, and once The Wizard of Oz appeared, we were too busy saving money for a house to spend a couple hundred dollars on a musical night in Toronto. So no Dorothy for me. (insert sad face here)

But conveniently enough, there was a traveling Beauty and the Beast coming to town. I had to think about it for a bit though because I had already seen it in Toronto many (many) years ago; it was my favourite of the musicals I've seen (Phantom, Showboat, Lion King). Would it count for my goal list to see a musical I had already seen? But since money was tight for any other option, and it was well over 15 years ago, I figured it was fair game.

I bought the tickets last August, and the show was just this week. And it was really good. Here's the stuff I noticed:

• It sounded almost too perfect. You never heard anyone take a breath, or material rub against a mic, or any kind of deviation that made it feel real. I don't really say this as a complaint, but to me it lost part of the best part of live shows, the organic in-person vibe. But I guess once you've done it so many times, it's hard to sound any different and hit anything but the perfect note.
• Probably part of that, but a hockey arena is not the best venue for music. It sounded kinda flat, and definitely through no fault of the band or the actors. (not flat is in sharp or flat musically, flat as in lacking dimension) It sounded just like watching on TV, like the sound came from just one point. It lacked the warmth of sound surrounding you as it does in proper theatres.
• It was an all ages events, and there was a lot of really cute little girls in princess dresses and crowns. But surprisingly, there was also a lot of very young children, like 2 and under. We even saw several infants (perhaps under 2 months!). For the most part, it didn't really bother me; it was a noisy crowd overall, a lot of talking (both adults and kids) and a few babies crying, but the sound didn't really seem to carry much. I just wonder why on earth you would bring such small children to a play. For so many reasons. (Rant ahead)...

a) What would a small child get out of it? I don't know at what age they had to pay for a ticket, but even if it was no charge, would a toddler really enjoy it? Most of the toddlers were asleep long before intermission; are they really becoming culturally diverse and having a good time?
b) Do you want to worry about looking after your child when everyone else is enjoying the show? If you're child is upset or hungry or needs to go to the bathroom or just plain antsy, you've got to deal with it, so you miss part of the show potentially. Why wouldn't you just want to get a baby-sitter for the night if you really wanted to see the show? You paid $65 a ticket, I'm sure the extra $30 for a sitter won't break you.
c) Your child could end up disrupting other people around you trying to enjoy the show. It's not fair to people who came to hear Lumière and not your crying infant.

Perhaps I am, as always, the cynical childless bitch who just doesn't understand, but in my mind there are some places where kids aren't really intended to go. For this, probably 5 and up is cool; old enough to sit still to watch and enjoy the show. Of course depending on the individual kid. Any younger and I just don't understand why you would bring a child. Honestly. I don't say it to be the angry person who never wants to be around kids, I truly wish I knew what would make someone decide to bring a 2 month old or even a toddler to a musical. Or to a movie theatre. I guess if you know you have a very well behaved child, there's no need to leave them at home, but how many toddlers can sit still for very long? And in my opinion, you have to get use to the fact that as a parent, you don't necessarily get to do all the same things you did when you were childless. Especially when it infringes on the people around you. I've been to non-kid movies where someone has brought in an infant and not left the theatre while the child screamed. So very not cool.

Will I take all this back once we have kids? Maybe. But I like to think that I take other people into consideration, and most people don't want a whiny child ruining their evening. Nobody wants to be around an unpleasant child, whether they have kids of their own or not. I understand that sacrifices have to be made in regards to your personal wants as a parent; I'm not sure all parents get that. Is there anywhere you can go now without risking being over run by children? (Again, I realize the musical was all ages, and I assumed there would be lots of kids, I just didn't expect the really young ones).

Anyway.... (now that that rant is over...)

I truly don't want it to sound like I didn't enjoy the show; I really did. It was funny and cute and the set was really well done. The actors did a great job and the band was phenomenal. Hopefully you'll notice that the flaws I pointed out really have nothing to do with the production but with the venue and the crowd.

There's something to be said for the ambiance of a theatre, getting dressed up and going out for the night. We were in jeans, surrounded by toddlers, had pancakes for dinner and walked to the arena. Probably not quite what I had in mind when I made the goal, but there's always time for more shows someday. Just not with my small children.