Mary Poppins Jr

Sunday, May 3rd, Frank and I took Alex to see a local children's production of Mary Poppins Jr at the Firehouse Arts Center in our neighboring town of Pleasanton.

Our tickets were close to the stage, about three rows back. Front row seats were available but Frank and I wanted to be considerate in case Alex's utterances might throw off the young actors. Our fears were unfounded. The young well-trained actors were non-plussed and Alex was on his best theatre behavior.

The show followed the script of the Broadway show more so than the Disney movie. There are new songs and a variant plot line so not all was as familiar to Alex and we would have liked. A local newspaper had a review of the Mary Poppins Jr show in which it cited the show had 31 songs, an unusually large number for the young actors to memorize and perform. Alex clapped enthusiastically through SuperCaliFragilisticExpialiDocious and Chim-Chiminy Chim-Chiminy Chim-Chim Cheroo. He acknowledged Feed the Birds but the rest of the songs fell sort of flat with him. 

After the show we went to the upper level and looked down at the hubbub in the lobby area from the bridge above. Alex liked transversing the bridge. It was also fun to see parents and friends congratulating the actors after their final show.

Every outing is a success, some more than others. This rendition of Mary Poppins did not tickle as many familiarity strings as we would have liked but this was no fault of the performance itself. The young actors did an excellent job. There was a lot of talent among those adolescents. We are glad we went. The experience of watching a junior production with adolescent actors also prepared Frank and me to watch a future junior production when our granddaughter would perform in Legally Blond Jr a few weeks later. Younger actors and singers in no way means a less than stellar performance. Support your local community shows. There is fantastic entertainment to be enjoyed at very budget friendly ticket prices.

Wizard Of Oz On Ice

On Sunday, April 12th, Frank and I took Alex to see The Wizard of Oz on Ice playing at our local Bankhead theater. On ice... really? Would the Bankhead risk having some sort of container for the frozen water on their hardwood stage? Our decision to go was based largely on curiosity. The only way to learn was to attend. Other questions: would the show be like an Ice Capades, like the original Wizard of Oz movie, like the recent movie Wicked, or like the musical The Wiz? Answers? Yes, a blend of all four. Read on.

We had seats near the top but, being next to the the angled aisle, we had a clear, unobstructed view. Our distance from the stage was great for getting an overview of the show.

I included a photo of Alex and Frank at Row H on their way climbing their way up to our seats at Row N. Once seated, Alex loved paging through his program. That is something he looks forward to at any show.

There were few to no three-dimensional props on the "ice" surface where the performers would be skating; I assume this arrangement was to give them unhampered gliding movement. The performers really were ice skating on blades, not roller skating on wheels. They did jumps (Axel, Lutz, Salchow), spins (Camel, Sit, Layback), and flips as seen in the Olympics. I was curious about the "frozen water" onstage which I learned was synthetic ice. The skating surface was installed on the wooden stage in abutted 70 lb panels of a solid high-density polyethylene or other polymer. Synthetic ice gives a gliding surface to skaters, but requires about 10% more effort, thus providing a more intense workout such as running in sand or jogging along the wave waterline at a beach would do. The joy of an effortless glide is somewhat reduced; hockey players reportedly like the extra strengthening workout they gain.

How did the Wizard of Oz on Ice compare to other productions of the same theme?

• The show was somewhat like the Ice Capades because of the skating and a loose impossible-to-follow background story played over speakers. Conversations were lip synched by the actors.
• It was like the original Wizard of Oz movie in that it started out in Kansas, but at the end there was no tieback to the farmhands in a their roles at Lion, Tin Man and Scarecrow.
• It had some resemblance to the modern movie Wicked in some of the flamboyant colors of costuming, even a blacklight lit sequence in neon colored outfits. 
• The songs were completely unfamiliar and the lyrics undecipherable similar to what Frank and I found when we saw the musical The Wiz. Ease on Down the Road from The Wiz was an exception but this song was not in The Wizard of Oz on Ice. 
• I am used to actors facing each other and taking a certain pose during conversational exchanges. Skaters had to keep moving in constant motion which sat awkwardly with me during dialog exchanges.
• Any concept of a set was portrayed by an image or set of images projected on a screen at the back of the stage. The enjoyment of marveling at set creativity or being fascinated with rapid changes in set was absent; however, the projected depiction of a tornado was very well done.
• There was no singing of Somewhere Over the Rainbow. The music for the show was more upbeat and not as solemn as a ballad would be. I still missed it though. The final curtain did give tribute to a rainbow however.

Put all these lack luster traits together, and you have an equivalent of an enjoyable B movie. The novelty was worth the effort and it was inexpensive. I do not regret at all going. Alex stayed engaged and even clapped a bit during the peppy parts. I think his favorite part was his program. We paused for a few pictures afterward in the lobby. With his program... of course.