How going to the theater over the years has brought us closer.
I have been going to the theater on an occasional weekend with my dad since I was 10 years old. It’s “our thing.” We get all dressed up, go to a fancy restaurant for dinner, and then go see a play or a musical. It happens two or three times a year, at least one time during the holidays.
I can’t even remember all the shows we’ve seen. We’ve covered most of the major theaters in the Twin Cities area. We’ve seen shows at the Children’s Theater, the Orpheum, the Guthrie, the Pantages, the State Theater, the Ordway and some other smaller venues too.
My favorite part isn’t the dressing up, the good food, or the entertainment –although those are all major pluses. It’s the car ride home, when my dad and I debrief the evening. We always end up with a bunch of new inside jokes from the night and repeat the funniest lines from the show to each other, never tiring of it.
We don’t really care if the show is good or bad. To be honest, we prefer the bad ones. We saw a production of “West Side Story” at the Ordway in 2017, which we still regard as our all-time favorite. Not because of the huge musical dance numbers, impressive costume and set design, or the classic “Romeo and Juliet” style love story, but because the Jets could not snap in time with each other for the life of them.
Every time the supposedly badass gang would do their classic synchronized snapping, it sounded like someone was making popcorn on stage. My dad and I could not keep it together. We were stifling our laughter from our seats in the balcony while the actors tried, and failed, to snap in sync. We still joke about it today.
In 2021 our holiday musical of choice was a December production of Fiddler on the Roof, also at the Ordway. While we were flipping through the program before the show started, we noticed an interesting detail in the lead actor’s bio. He only stars in plays that he also directs.
For some reason we clung to this and created an elaborate backstory about how he is such a difficult actor to work with that only he can handle himself, therefore he must direct his own productions. We imagined him combing through the script, throwing himself extra lines and making sure that he only ever has to stand with his good side facing the audience. We really cracked ourselves up with that one.
When I asked my dad if he had a particularly funny memory from our outings, he reminded me of a play we saw a couple years ago. Neither one of us can remember what it was called or even the basic plot or premise. All we remember is that we thought we were going to see a fun, fluffy musical, but instead it was two hours of dialogue from three actors who never left the stage. Very serious. And quite depressing, honestly.
At the end of the show, all the actors left the stage but the lights never went down. Confused, the audience didn’t know whether to clap or wait for some big finale. After about a minute of silence, a janitor with a mop walked past the doorway of the set.
In the chatter of everyone exiting the theater, we could hear people trying to dissect the deeper meaning of the play. Everyone else seemed quite impressed, but we had never been more confused in our lives. All we were trying to figure out was if that person at the end was an actual janitor or an actor. Our seats were high in the balcony, so we couldn’t see their face.
We left the play deciding that it was basically about nothing, and that a random janitor at the theater just jumped the gun trying to clean up. We had a good laugh about that too.
Looking back, I now see that going to the theater is a wonderful way for anyone to spend their weekend. There’s something that feels inherently classy about the theater, especially older ones. The velvet cushioned seats, ornate ceilings, and live orchestra accompaniment give the whole experience an air of elegance.
Some people, like me, like to get dressed up. But you are welcome to wear whatever you’re comfortable in.
There really is something exciting about seeing a live performance. When the house lights in the theater go down you can feel the buzz of excitement as everyone goes silent and anticipates the first notes of an opening number. When you go see a movie you know that you’re seeing a polished, edited version of a story. In theater, it’s all unraveling in real time. Anything can happen, giving the whole experience a touch of exhilaration.
It’s also one of the best ways in 2023 to spend up to three hours completely unplugged. Using your phone during a show is not only a major faux pas, but it could get you kicked out.
But when I look back on 12 years of regular outings with my dad to the theater, it isn’t really about the performances at all. It’s about making memories and laughing with my dad.