Okay, so last night was ushering for Disney’s Beauty & the Beast. It really is a lovely little show. Good-to-great songs, a couple of first class dance numbers, some moments of real stage magic (the Beast to Prince transformation loses absolutely nothing in the translation from the movie) and some truly funny business. And, as expected, there were tons of kiddies. And it really highlights the joys and the pains of having kids at the big people theater.
First, B&tB is a fantastic show for a first real stage experience. Kids are primed (and I do mean primed) by the movie, and they’ll want to be on their best behavior. The songs are very accessible for little people’s vocabulary. And there’s this moment when Belle comes out in the dress – the yellow, poofy gown, with her hair down for the first time, with ribbons and roses and lace. And it’s just like – gasp. There she is. And boy, does that actress know this is the money shot. She sweeps out onto the stage and pauses – and you can practically hear the hearts stop. The excitement is beyond anything you’ll probably ever see in any adult show. It is a true “this is IT” moment. And you get to share it, whether you’re 8 or 80.
The other side of the coin is that, while kids want to be on their best behavior, there’s only so much behavior you can expect. From the kids, or their parents. If you bring a 4-year old to a theater, it’s unreasonable to expect them to be quiet for the entire show. Some parents seem to not be able to keep their little chatterboxes from keeping up a running commentary through the entire show. Normally, I’d want to see if I couldn’t hush things up a bit for the other patrons, but with kids you just kinda gotta roll with the punches. And for any adult who just wants to enjoy a show, at B&tB, you pays your money and you takes your chances. Though, as far as age tolerances go, my personal preference would be, if your kid can’t make it to intermission without eating, they are too young to be at the theater. Squashed Lucky Charms in the aisle is just kinda gross. (And really, sugar cereal? Did that seem like a good idea?)
Still and all, if one of the missions of live theater is to provide thrilling experiences for the young that create theater-goers for life, Disney is living the dream.
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2 comments:
Lucky Charms?! It is only acceptable in this parts to snack on plain Cheeries or Goldfish - dang, why not feed them Cocaine?
BTW the way to get over kids-bing-kids at kid-attracting events that adults ALSO want to enjoy is to crank up the volume - sometimes painful, but necessary for all.
Oh, I know. The kids are watching a live Disney movie. Like they need another reason to be amped. The little dears were practically vibrating. That might explain the crushed Lucky Charms. Maybe they were snorting it.
I'll mention the volume thing. Though the acoustics at the new theater are darned good. The difference between noise cancelling and a perforated ear drum might be pretty slim.
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