Thursday, January 29, 2009

Some Enchanted Evening


I had a lovely time last night with my surprise visitors -- my sister Steph and her daughter Paige, who is 5 1/2. Paige called me as soon as their plane landed. She was so excited to be here on her special trip with Mommy.

I met them for an early dinner at Gramercy Tavern, which is conveniently located close to my office. While Steph and I enjoyed a lovely bottle of wine, Paige was thrilled to enjoy a Coke! (A very rare treat.) She called it her "beer," and the effects were almost immediate. She was buzzing from the sugar and caffeine. Of course, it was all part of Steph's plan to help Paige stay up through the Broadway show!

We went to see South Pacific, and the talent was fantastic. From the orchestra to the performers, the costumes and the sets, everything was breathtakingly beautiful. And Paige was such a trooper! We only saw two other children there, and she was definitely the youngest. Poor baby had gotten up at 4:45 a.m. that day to catch the plane, and she definitely got a zombie look through the performance. But she was completely well-behaved and everyone around us commented on her poise and maturity. And she was entranced enough in the story to stick it out until the end.

During one of the opening numbers, a group of guys dressed as sailors sing "There is Nothing Like a Dame." We had incredible seats -- even the usher said they were his favorite seats in the house! They were situated on Row F in the orchestra and were overlooking a stairway where the performers would enter and exit. This meant no one was directly in front of us! During the "Dame" song, at one point, all the guys turned in our direction and seemed to be singing directly to us. I swear I caught eyes with one cute guy, and he continued to sing while maintaining my gaze. I felt my face go hot (I'm sure I was red) and it seemed to go on for several somewhat-uncomfortable minutes. I can't remember the last time I blushed, but it was such a powerful experience. I love Broadway! I love the talent, the live performance, the energy you get from the performers and even from the other patrons around you. I like the smaller theaters where you feel almost a part of the action.

All in all, quite an "enchanted evening," to borrow one of the popular songs from the show.

7 comments:

Unknown said...

ha ha I just posted (not so eloquently as you) about the same thing! Had to bribe the children with a Scholastic video so I could make the blog entry, too. :)

Vetmommy said...

I remember when Steph briefly had a part in the Midland Theater version of S. Pacific -- good choice!

Anonymous said...

An excellent production. Has Kelly O'Hara (Nelly) left yet? I know she is leaving because she is pregnant. She was excellent. Did you know this was the first Broadway revival of the show since it was first performed on Broadway? I am excited to see West Side Story and Guys and Dolls.

get2eric said...

Oh what a nice post. I remember too that Steph was asked to play Liat.

Glad you all had a good time. Good choice on the play and great seats.

Anonymous said...

Well,Emily,I think you had better get yourself down to the Stage door to see if you can catch the chappie who never took his eyes off you hahaha worth a try,huh? :o)

Aunty Norma.x

Unknown said...

So that explains her totally fit body with giant natural boobies...yes she's still the lead and she's terrific. How fantastic for that babe growing in a womb so well lullabied. neato. I was just thinking all day how great it was that her body was so fantastically womanly. Sure was!

Unknown said...

Sign me up for Guys and Dolls, too...but Graham insists he's not missing the next one!