The Great White Way

On Saturday, Sam and Nate went to their first musical. They have been to other live performances, such as the Dixie Stampede and the Chinese acrobats in Branson, but this was their first live performance that had an actual story. This is good timing for them, because they are getting really good at following stories. Gina and I have been reading to the boys since they were tiny, but recently they have started telling the stories back to us. One story that really captured their imaginations was Pinocchio, one of the stories in a book that GiGi gave them. They were especially interested in the fact that his nose grew every time he told a lie. As Nate loves to say, "His nose grew another INCH!"

Well, at about the same time as their interest in Pinocchio developed, I got Gina tickets to Casa Manana for Christmas. I got her 4 Broadway tickets so she and I could attend two shows together, and 4 Children's tickets so we could attend a show with the boys. We were able to choose between Pinocchio, Brer Rabbit and The Wizard of Oz, but once we learned how much they loved Pinocchio it was an easy choice.

Overall, they did pretty well during the show. We sat on the very back row, which turned out to be a good thing because both boys talked through the entire show. Sam processes his information verbally, so he is constantly asking questions and repeating things. Nate loves snacks, so most of his talking was asking me what else I brought for him to eat. They loved the songs and dancing, and they were able to follow a lot of the dialogue. After the show, we were able to get photos with some of the cast members: the Blue Fairy, Pinocchio and one of Stromboli's puppets, who happened to be dressed like Jessie from Toy Story.

I think the real proof that they really loved the show was that three days after it was over, they were still talking about it. Sam is still telling me how Pinocchio's nose grew "for not listening," (which is his explanation for everything bad that happens) and that he got swallowed by a whale. I have always loved going to plays and musicals, and I am glad that Sam and Nate like it too.  I hope we will get to see many more together as a family.