Friday, February 17, 2012

Theater Reviews: 2 Very Different Shows, Both Worth It

So, as the Sig-O will gladly tell you, I over-scheduled us. Seriously. We're headed out of town (so pretty much don't expect much from me next week) and we were busy every single night. Not a big deal in a normal week, but when we're headed out of town for 10 days, it's a bit much because of that little thing called packing. Ugh. But I digress, what I really wanted to tell you about and give you a snippet of review about are the two dramatically different shows we saw this week. Both are great and you should see both, maybe even in the same week if need be.

Tuesday night was Bring It On - the musical. I'm pretty much the best gf in the world when I take the Sig-O to see bouncy cheerleaders on Valentine's Day. Saying this musical was based on the movie is about like saying that Rudy was based on the Superbowl. It's just not really true. Sure, it's the same sport, but that's kind of when the similarities stop. Fortunately, the Sig-O hadn't actually seen the movie, so we continued on without a problem. It's a musical. And more importantly, it's Dallas Summer Musicals. It was fun. It was entertaining. It was the kind of show where you're supposed to clap after a fun song rather than sit there with hands in your lap, not clapping because you were taught that you do not clap between movements or songs. There's cheering and dancing and singing. This one will make you laugh and smile. It's not serious theater, but since when do we have to be all serious, all the time? We all know that when you want a real theater review, you don't come here. And there are plenty of "real" reviews. But I'm just saying it was fun and it was worth the price of admission. Plus DSM keeps running some good deals on tickets, so you should support one of your local arts organizations. Oh, and the seats at the Music Hall at Fair Park are so much more comfortable than the ones at the Winspear or the Wyly. You don't think it's a big deal, but 2.5 hours later, you're grateful that someone tried to sit in the chairs before just ordering them b/c they went with the fabulous design.

Speaking of uncomfortable chairs. . . . After sitting in any chair for 4.5 hours of opera, even a Lazy Boy would get uncomfortable. That's what I got to do with the Sig-O last night when we sat through 4.5 HOURS OF OPERA. That's right, we saw Wagner's Tristan & Isolde. This is probably not one you want to check out if you're an opera virgin. Not because it's not fabulous, but because it's 4.5 HOURS OF OPERA. Moving on from the point that it took almost 20 percent of my day, Tristan & Isolde was fantastic. Sure, go read some other site when you want to hear about the beautiful soprano, bass and baritone voices, but I'm just telling you it was great. The Sig-O wasn't really feeling the whole contemporary design with moving panels at the beginning, but it turns out to make the show visually stunning. It's a beautiful show. Wagner wrote beautiful music, and the Dallas Opera does a fantastic performance. But the imagery projected on the panels alone is worth you sitting through at least two acts. It really is that good. If you have the time (almost 20 percent of your day I remind you), I do recommend you check out the show.

See, I'm eclectic. I do lots of stuff. The rest of the week was filled with having company at the house (again, bad planning on my part,) but I did get to try out some great recipes - may I recommend Pomegranate Duck or Shrimp curry for your next get together? Yes, I made both. The Sig-O is freaking lucky. Oh, and sometime between now and early tomorrow morning I need to pack for both of us for a 9 day trip. But only after a quick happy hour event tonight.

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