Evita - Again!

Last fall we saw Evita, one of my favorite musicals. Marina enjoyed it too, so I decided that we’d see it again since a nearby arts center was also performing it. Marina chose South American inspired clothes. She added a purse and fan from Mexico and we put her hair in a black lace net.

We arrived a few minutes into the performance and had to watch from the back for a bit until we were able to sneak into our seat. It wasn’t easy since we were in the front row! We did our best to settle in quickly and enjoy the show.

The first act went by quickly. Marina paid close attention throughout.
When the show was over, Marina said she liked it. Che, the narrator, was not as funny as in the previous performance we saw, but she enjoyed the songs, choreography and impressive costumes. She didn’t want to stay to meet the cast, instead she wanted to go home and play on the computer.

Springtime Spree

We were happy we had tickets for the Princess Spring Fling. Marina had a tough time choosing which character to dress up as. She finally decided on Alice in Wonderland.

The drive took a long time, but we arrived just before the princesses. Marina was a bit disappointed that Alice was not there as scheduled. But she got many compliments on her outfit.

The event was set up so everyone visited with each princess and received on part of a craft. After meeting with them all they had a flower photo holder assembled. Marina met with Merida first, Then Belle, Tiana, Elsa and Anna. The last one we saw was Moana – she had the longest line!

After the crafts were done, the Easter Bunny came to take photos with the kids. Tiana and Moana sang and Belle told a story. Then the girls and princesses all danced together.

At the end of the event, the princesses all gathered together for a group photo with all the kids. Marina waited until the end. When it was her turn, she shared our princess scrapbook with them. They all seemed to enjoy looking through all our photos.

Marina fell asleep in the car on the way home. It was a long day!

Jesus Christ Superstar

We had tickets for a performance of Jesus Christ Superstar at the Arvada Center this afternoon. Lately it’s been a favorite of mine and I thought Marina might like to see it with me.

We arrived early, so we got drinks and Marina had a snack. She was a bit concerned to see so many older people waiting for the show as well. But after we were seated she saw she wasn’t the youngest person there. We even had a ten year old girl sitting a few seats away from us.

I don’t think Marina was as interested in seeing Jesus Christ Superstar as I was. She’s heard me listening to the soundtrack and watching the film version lately, but hasn’t expressed much interest in it. So she acted a bit grumpy as we waited for it to begin.

We were in the front row, so we had a great view of the stage. Once the show started, Marina was fully engaged. She was happy to see Jenna, an actress we’ve met many times before, as Mary Magdalene. At intermission, Marina told me she really liked the show.  

After the performance was over, there was a social hour with the cast. As usual, Marina was excited to meet the actors. The first we saw was James, who we met last year after Dracula and Beauty and the Beast. He remembered us and greeted both of us with a warm hug. Next we saw the actor who played Judas, we had seen him as Che in Evita last year. We talked to him about both performances.
 

Marina got some food to munch on as we waited to see Jenna. We’ve seen her in shows for five years now. She also remembered us and talked with us for a while. Before we left, we wanted to get Marina’s picture with the actor who played Jesus. He was very nice and I spent a while talking to him. While I did, Marina teased me about how often I listen to the soundtrack of the show.

After talking to many cast members, we were ready to go home.

Dream Big

We had tickets for Disney on Ice this afternoon. Marina invited one of her friends. She is growing up, so she wore a Jasmine t-shirt instead of a costume this time.

Our seats were close to the ice and both girls got into the show once it started. It started with the story of Aladdin. Then we saw small bits of Snow White, Beauty and the Beast and Cinderella. At intermission, we stayed near our seats.

During the second act, we were all impressed with the dragon in Sleeping Beauty. When the Frozen story started, Marina's friend got out her phone and recorded the show. When it was over, they both said they enjoyed it.

Enchanted Symphony

Marina and I have attended quite a few concerts at the symphony this year. Today we were excited for their “Symphonic Beauty and the Beast” concert. Marina wore her blue Belle dress.

We left the house early for the show. I learned a large group of fairytale characters would be in the lobby before the show. Since we were so early, we got the most amazing parking spot - almost directly outside the concert hall!

When we arrived we saw the characters were already there. We got photos with Ariel, Sleeping Beauty, Snow White, Jasmine and Rapunzel right away. Then we waited in a short line for pictures with Belle, her prince, Gaston and Le Fou. Next up, we met Anna and Elsa with Kristoff followed by Cinderella and her Prince. We also found Pocahontas, Moana and Te Fiti.

After we met all the characters, we found the craft area where Marina made a green necklace which she gave to Te Fiti. On our way to our seats, we ran into Elena of Avalor.

We bought drinks and Marina picked out a snack, then we went to our seats. We really liked our view – we were directly behind the horn section. When the concert started we could see the conductor very well.

The concert was a combination of classical pieces and music from movies. A vocalist came out to sing several songs from the Broadway musical Beauty and the Beast. We loved her performance and Marina gushed over her ball gown.

After the concert, the characters were in the lobby again. Marina hugged each one before we left.

Little Mermaid Ballet

Late last year, we decided to get tickets to see the ballet The Little Mermaid with one of Marina's friends and her mom. We bought the tickets last fall, but tonight we finally got to see the show.

Marina had initially planned to wear her Ariel costume, but she changed her mind and wore a blue dress instead. She did add the Ariel starfish headband though. I put her hair in curlers and it came out looking beautiful. After she put on her makeup, she said, “I look gorgeous!” She did!

We all went to dinner before we went to to the theater. None of us had been to this theater before, so it took ups a bit to find it. Once we did we were able to find a parking place and walk over.

We arrived early. Since they weren’t seating yet, we had a snack while we waited. Our seats were in the balcony but our view was great. Our seats were in separate rows, so we let the girls sit in the front while her mother and I sat behind them.

The show started with a ballet choreographed to a Bruch Violin Concerto. It didn’t have a story, but the dancing and costumes were beautiful. We had an intermission before The Little Mermaid began. It was a very different kind of ballet – the music had lyrics and the recording  had narration. It was more like a musical than a traditional ballet.

The girls both enjoyed the ballet. We all talked about getting together to see another ballet or even an opera.

Spring at the Zoo

Marina is on spring break this week. She didn’t sleep in this morning, which was a bit of a surprise. The weather was supposed to be nice today, so I suggested we go to the zoo. They have a new exhibit for tigers which I thought would be fun to check out.

We went early and I was surprised there were no crowds. Marina was mostly interested in checking out the big cats – she wore her cat ears, paw gloves and a leopard print shirt.

When we got to the zoo we saw that many animal babies were visible. Marina was excited to see them. The first one we spotted was the baby zebra. He was eating with his parents, Marina thought he was adorable. A large crowd was watching the giraffe exhibit where the baby was out with his mother. He was so cute among the tall adult giraffes.

The weather was perfect and the animals seemed to be enjoying it as much as we were. We saw a polar bear going for a swim. A bat-eared fox walked right over to the glass so Marina could take a photo.

When we made it to new exhibit, we saw that the tigers are able to sit in a walkway above the crowds. One was perched up there watching us as we walked in.

We went through the Asian animal exhibit and saw the elephants hanging out, the sea otters playing and the cranes preening for attention.

We stopped for an Asian-inspired lunch and then went through the rest of the zoo. We rode the carousel and Marina chose a black panther to ride on. She was disappointed that the cheetahs weren’t in their exhibit.

As we left we saw a huge number of people going into the zoo. We were glad we decided to go early!