any dream will do

my very first trip to the pantages theater was way back in the 90s, when my folks took me to see "joseph and the amazing technicolor dreamcoat."  it starred michael damian, who at the time was mostly known for being on a soap and had had (i think) one or two songs on the top 40.  and i remember a children's choir prominently featured throughout the production.  i loved it so much, i went out and bought the soundtrack on CD, which ended up on continuous loop in my car for months afterwards.

so when a new production of it - also at the pantages, which is one of my very favorite venues ever - was announced, i decided that i wanted to see it again, with not just the hub but with the girls too.  i knew they'd enjoy it, and the bean is at an age where she could follow along and get into the story.  i lucked out with a great promo that got us 4 tickets for $99, although when you add all of the ticketbastard fees it was closer to $130.  still a great deal for a night out at the theater, if you ask me.

the bean was super excited to see her very first real play, unless you count "mickey and the magical map" at disneyland.  she got to wear a super cute dress, and was happy to strike a pose on the stairs inside the beautiful theater (her words).

also, it annoys me to see that a lot of folks arrive at the theater looking like they just walked in after a trip to the damn beach.  there were shorts and flip flops and tattered jeans and t-shirts galore, which i just find icky.  i know, that's probably lame, but really?  would it hurt you to put on some decent clothes for a night at the pantages?  come on.

but the bean didn't care or notice.  yeah, she was just super excited to pick out a cookie that was as big as her head.

then i handed her some money to buy a magnet to add to our fridge collection.

that ticket promo offered up some pretty decent seats.  we were on the lower (orchestra) level, somewhat in the center and still close enough to be able to see the performers' facial expressions pretty clearly.  as we waited for the show to start, the hub and the bean walked down to the stage to get a closer look.

they went down there again during the intermission, and the hub came back to report that she'd struck up a great conversation with the conductor and some of the musicians.  she told them that the music was so beautiful and that they were doing such a wonderful job down there, and they just chit-chatted for most of the break.  a few of the people seated in the first row were entertained by this, and when one of them asked her if she'd rather be a ballerina on the stage (??) or the conductor, she opted for the latter without giving it a second thought.  looks like those piano lessons and music classes are paying off, huh?

i was seated on the end next to the teen, so he filled me in on her comments during the show too.  along with the praise for the music and the orchestra, she loved the sets and the songs and said that she thought joseph sounded just like larry the pickle from her "veggie tales" videos.  comedy.  dude went from american idol to larry the pickle.  i couldn't stop laughing.

this show is billed as "suitable for all ages," which it totally is.  and i loved seeing so many kids there.    although i, of course, was seated next to one who was probably about 4 and couldn't sit still or stop chattering away throughout the whole show.  although at the end, at a quiet-ish moment during joseph's triumphant finale, he clapped his hands and shouted "YAY!" which made the entire audience laugh and was pretty cute.  i'm glad he had a good time.

it was a great show, although with my last "joseph" experience still stuck in my head, this version definitely paled in comparison.  the girls and the hub really liked it, though, which is great.  and the teen and i can't wait for december, when "wicked" returns to the pantages.  we took her to see that once years ago, but she got stuck behind a tall lady in a hat and didn't get to fully enjoy it and has wanted to return ever since.  i think the bean would like that one, too.

igniting a love for the theater.  yay!

i carried a watermelon

along with the obvious, that's my favorite line in "dirty dancing."

it was 1987. i was all of sixteen years old and had just moved far, far away from my friends and boyfriend (who my mom couldn't stand). it was the beginning of my rebellious teenage years, and the romantic in me was completely entranced with this movie and its storyline. i totally pictured myself as "baby" and the ex as "johnny." heh. despite the fact that our relationship didn't necessarily have the fairytale happy ending, "dirty dancing" is still one of my all-time favorite movies. you know, the kind i'll stop to watch no matter how many times i've seen it or what point it's at, or the kind i can recite the lines to along with the characters. i know you've got a list of movies like that!

day 2 of the teen's birthday princess weekend was capped off with the evening performance of "dirty dancing" on stage at the awesome pantages theatre in hollywood. we've been there several times before, to see "cats" (awful, three hours of my life i'll never get back) and "wicked" (loved. so. much.). and, not that it really matters because i'm a terrible photographer anyway, but these pictures are taken with the shitty point-and-shoot.

after we both went through about eleventy-seven outfit changes, we hopped in the prius and were on our way. our tickets were waiting for us at will call, courtesy of goldstar, and i knew the line could get long if we waited too long. it was a fairly easy drive, and after circling the theater block a couple of times in search of parking, i gave in and spent yet another $10. i hate paying for parking. you find a spot, lock it, walk away, cough up the cash, and hope it's still as you left it when you get back. so dumb.

i was pretty excited to see that there were only two people in line ahead of us at the will call desk. and it was super easy - i walked up, flashed my ID, the girl glanced at it and turned to face the shelf behind her where envelopes of tickets were organized alphabetically, and handed me two. easy peasy.

we had some time to kill, so we walked out onto hollywood boulevard to see if there was anything worth doing/seeing/munching on. i contemplated heading off to find this:

although this place is ridiculously overpriced and completely pretentious, i got a hankering for sushi at the sight of it anyway.

i always consider this building to be a classic hollywood icon, right up there with the "hollywood" sign.

we were super amused at the sight of this hoopdie, blaring loud music out of the open windows.

i always think it's sad that the intersection of hollywood and vine, so famous and historic, ain't really shit anymore.

finding nothing particularly exciting, we strolled to the corner and then decided to turn back and see if there were any good snacks inside. and as we approached the entrance, i caught a gander of the will call line, and by then it had grown so long that it went out onto hollywood boulevard. inside, i paused to take this:

and then we got in line so the teen could buy herself a souvenir tee.

we picked up a couple of snacks and a shirley temple for the teen, in this souvenir cup:

we took note of the "no photography inside" sign posted at the doors to the theater, and stopped to take a couple of quick shots.

as we made our way to our seats, we were surprised to find that we were fairly close to the stage, albeit way to the left. in fact, we were literally the last ones in the aisle, next to the wall. i didn't care, though. they were free tickets, and we still had a great view of the show.

despite the sheer cheesiness of it all, the teen and i thoroughly enjoyed it. aren't most musicals super cheese whiz anyway? but i love 'em. most of the time. and i am a royal dork, because i totally recognized the actor playing dr. houseman as the mayor of port charles on "general hospital." yay!

and then, partway through act II, it happened.

EARTHQUAAAAAAAAKE! i looked above us to see if we were in any danger of falling equipment or anything:

i felt the floor shudder and sway, and then there was an audible "ooooh" from the audience. the actors onstage paused for JUST a moment before picking up right where they left off. the teen watched as the the props and screens onstage swayed a bit, looked at me with terrified eyes, and then a bunch of folks (obviously locals) went "shhhhhhh!" hahaha! talk about "the show must go on."

i glanced back and saw a whole grip o'people get up and bounce outta there (psh, tourists), and then i held the teen's hand and told her everything was okay. it had lasted for what seemed like forever, and i kept thinking of how old the theatre was. but then i kind of just shrugged my shoulders, consoled the teen silently, and texted the hub. the quake was over, and i didn't want to miss the end of the show (even though it wasn't as though i didn't know what was going to happen). the teen relaxed after a while, and we sat there and finished it out until the very last bow.

we made our way out of the theatre, got into the car easily, and before we knew it, we were on the freeway and headed home. of course, we were starving, but it was a school night and i wanted to get the teen home to relax and get a good night's rest after the excitement of the weekend. so, a couple of exits before ours, i pulled off and went through the drive-thru for the dinner of champions:

ah, in-n-out. how i love you. and yes, the teen got a grilled cheese with veggies. she dug it.

on the way home, i asked her if she'd enjoyed her weekend, despite the fact that it didn't go exactly as originally planned. i told her that i knew i'd monopolized quite a bit of her time, and that she'd probably wished she'd had more time to hang with her friends. but she said that she'd had a good time with me - and that she liked hanging out with me. i guess i was kind of fishing for it, but i didn't feel like she was saying it to placate me at all. i really think she does still dig hanging out with her old ass mom, and i can't say enough about how much i cherish our relationship. we have so much fun together, with silly inside jokes and glances that speak volumes. i hope and pray every single day that it never changes, and that when the bean gets to be her age, i won't be too crusty and crotchety for her to want to chill with me like this, too. oh, how i love my girls.

and that, dear readers, is how we ended the teen's 14th birthday extravaganza. hmm. wonder what next year will bring?