Peter Pan Leaves Me in the Poor House

Tuesday night, I took Phillip and my mom to see Cathy Rigby's farewell tour of Peter Pan at Clowes Hall. A beautiful production and we had fantastic seats. Phillip was clearly taken by the magic of theatre. I have waited a long time for that moment. When I was growing up, live theatre was part of our life. My parents took me to see almost every major production that came to town. I had never heard of places like Beef & Boards, but had tenth row seats to see a Broadway production at Clowes. REAL theatre (sorry Beef & Boards fans...its descent community theatre, but I talkin' the big guns).

We saw shows in Indianapolis, Chicago, New York, and Philadelphia. I even saw Starlight Express in London. So, for me, this moment is completing the circle. Taking my child to the theatre like my parents did with me. And, sharing this moment with my mom was extra special. Phillip may have been a little less "in awe" because of today's numerous opportunities to introduce kids to performance through this insane live shows--Disney on Ice, Elmo's World, Dora, etc.

Yes, we did it. We took Phillip to Toy Story on Ice when he had just turned three. He loved it. Then, we took him to Nemo on Ice when he was four and we swore we would never take them again (for the most part). The tickets are outrageous and the shows, well...sort of stupid. And, the worst part is that the focus is rarely on the show, but instead on the crap they sell. Flashlights for $20, t-shirts, giant snowcones for $12 in plastic cups that will break in two weeks, and the dreaded cotton candy wrapped up neatly in more overpriced plastic crap.

Somehow, we always convinced him to stick with the t-shirts. And, of course we have to get a matching one for Sam who is already pissed he didn't get to come. So, I brought extra cash along with me to Peter Pan because this, THIS was special and t-shirt would certainly be a must for Phillip (which means Sam, too). And...guess how much those "must" t-shirts were? Size 4-6 (kids)--a mere $30 each! I almost got Andrew a black one so he too could be included, but the smaller size was still $20--really, that is two outfits at the Carter's store (the potential for six outfits for the price of Phillip and Sam's shirts).

Most importantly, Phillip had a life-long fantasy come true. My mom bought him, and Sam, one of those hand-held things with the flashing lights inside that spin around (they always have these at Disney on Ice and we always say "no" launching into the, "that junkie toy will be broken in ten minutes"). Did I mention they were $15 each? Yes, $15. That might trump what they sell for at the Disney shows. So far, though, they are still working!

It was a wonderful night and well worth the "investment" to experience that with Phillip. The next night was our 9th wedding anniversary and Jeff and I enjoyed dinner out--never once talking about the kids! It was wonderful. Gee, I sort of had a social life this week!?!