When I was a young lass I was infatuated with Annie. According to my parents and close relatives, Annie was a musical that I could watch repeatedly. When I was a couple years older than Ava is currently my Mom brought me to see Annie live! I’m certain that I was a bit too young to comprehend the plot, however, I imagine that I was subconsciously fascinated by Annie’s optimistic outlook on life and of course the music. I remember the auditorium, the stage and Annie’s fire red hair. I also remember my Mom walking me up the stage at the end of the show and giving me the opportunity to not only meet Annie but to have my picture taken with her. I froze. I absolutely refused to so much as look Annie in the eyes. My Mom tried and tried but I decided that I’d rather forgo an ever-lasting photo with my childhood hero than meet her and have my picture taken with her. Obviously, that makes no sense at all and I understand that now.
About a week ago my Mom gave me a newspaper cutout; it was an ad for Annie Jr. The show was being put on by a local non-profit children’s theatre and they’d be performing at our local library’s meager auditorium. The ticket prices were ridiculously reasonable and Ava’s admission was free seeing as how she’s only three years old. I was so excited to take her to her first musical, let alone Annie!
Chris agreed to put Linc to bed so Ava and I could have a girl’s night out at the “theatre.” She wore her halter dress from Aunt Courtney and I brought her shawl in case she was to get cold. We arrived 1 hour early since we had to buy my ticket at the door. Then we shuffled to the end of the line of anxious patrons waiting for the auditorium doors to open. Ava was so patient and only asked me a couple of times when the music was going to start. Finally we were allowed to file into the auditorium and claim our seats. Thankfully, I was able to score an aisle seat for Ava, which gave her a decent view of the stage.
Now we had to sit in our seats for 30 minutes to wait for the show to begin. Ava was sufficiently distracted by the bustle of people, the surrounding excitement and the musicians warming up with their instruments in “the pit.” I also used the time to explain to her about musicals and I tried to give her an idea of what to expect.
At long last, it was show time! I moved into Ava’s seat and propped her on my lap for better viewing. The curtain rose and a scene with about ten orphan girls piled two to each makeshift bed appeared before our eyes. Ava was instantly immersed with a look of complete awe slathered across her face. I don’t think she exhaled once before the first scene change.
As soon as the curtain lowered for that first scene change and the audience began to clap Ava swiftly spun her head around and asked in a worried tone, “Is it over?” When I told her that this was merely the end of the first scene she smiled from ear to ear and focused her attention back on the stage in total anticipation. We did this for about the first five scenes before she caught onto the pattern and I assured her that I’d let her know when it’s really over.
During our bathroom break at Intermission I asked Ava what was her favorite part so far. She replied, “I like clapping and I like it when Annie sings.”
Before we knew it, the show was over and Ava was quick to offer a standing ovation to the performers.
I had a lot of questions to answer for Ava on our way home. I chuckled when I found myself sympathizing with not being able to completely understand the plot but knowing that I definitely enjoyed what I saw nonetheless.
I think it’s safe to say that Ava enjoyed her first musical and I hope that she enjoys many more to come. I’m thrilled that I was able to share this experience with her and I’m even more pleased that I was able to share one of my childhood favorites with my daughter. Unfortunately, we did not have the opportunity for a photo with Annie...maybe next time.
As far as the performance is concerned, I was extremely impressed. I cannot believe the amount of young talent that was on that stage that night. I walked away with an enormous dose of hope and inspiration. Two thumbs up from Ava and Mama!
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