If you've never been to the theatre with a kid or two, do it. There is little more wonderful in the world than watching a production through the wide eyes of a child.
A couple of years ago, I had the chance to see Shrek: The Musical with a little girl named Lindsay who was four years old at the time. I'd seen the show before and enjoyed it enough to insist that we go together when she and her family came to town. But I had no idea how much more fun it would be to see it while sitting next to her -- how watching a child watch a Broadway musical could make the show seem so much more magical than before.
There were four of us that night: Lindsay's mom Karen and grandma "Mimi" came along too. We called it girls night out; Mimi treated us to dinner in Hells Kitchen, and Karen bought us all matching Shrek-ear headbands at the theatre. Lindsay had seen the Shrek movies, and she'd been to small local theatre productions, but had never seen something on such a grand scale as Broadway. And we definitely underestimated her enchantment at seeing the familiar characters of Shrek, Donkey, Fiona, and Dragon (not to mention the bevy of fairytale creatures) live right in front of her. She squealed in delight from the moment the first actors took the stage.
As an adult -- especially one who goes to the theatre quite often -- I observe productions on several levels. In addition to the music and the story, I'm also aware of the mechanics; in addition to what I see on-stage, there's always a part of me considering the off-stage goings-on that allow it happen. The more theatre I see, the more I refer back to other shows that have done things in a similar or wildly different way. It becomes an academic endeavor, as well as a fun or emotional event.
Lindsay didn't watch Shrek that way. For her, it was all magic. And soon enough, I was seeing it that way, too.
When Young Shrek transformed into Adult Shrek before her eyes, her mouth dropped open and she looked at me astounded. When Pinocchio told lies and his nose grew, she giggled. And when the magic mirror showed up, she actually stood and pointed and said "Oh, oh, look at that!"
I found myself watching Lindsay with as much delight as I was watching Brian d'Arcy James, Daniel Breaker, and Sutton Foster. She gripped my hand. She couldn't look away from the stage. Surely, she recognized that the gingerbread man was a puppet, but she didn't concern herself with how it was being operated. She could appreciate that Lord Faarquad was an actor dancing on his knees, but it didn't affect the way she watched the show. As I was busy cataloguing the roles I've seen Christopher Sieber play, she just laughed as only a child can do. Soon I was laughing right along with her. In fact, we had such a case of the giggles that I was afraid we might be shushed! Luckily, the audience around us seemed to be having just as much fun.
In 2008, my favorite shows were [title of show] (which I saw 5 times), Billy Elliot (3 times), and Equus (3 times). Nevertheless, that night at Shrek was my favorite theatrical memory of the year. And now, every time I catch myself analyzing the logistics of any show, I remind myself to think of Lindsay and just enjoy it.
Lindsay is six now, and she still talks about Shrek -- not the movie, but the Broadway musical. "When can I come back to New York?" she asks whenever I see her. She looks at me expectantly, and then exclaims, "I want to go see a play!!"
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