Our local news ran an article about a theater group who was doing something to navigate performance art through the coronavirus. It checked all the boxes...a modern take on Romeo and Juliet...60 minutes...$45 per car regardless of the number of occupants...6 pm start time...actors remained masked throughout the show...the audience never leaves the car and enjoys a socially distant yet "immersive" experience in a parking garage...so many pros.
After reading everything I could find about the show and troupe, I bought tickets. Steve and J were not thrilled about sitting through a play, but the rest of us were excited.
The first half was entertaining, mostly due to the novelty and the fact that it was our first outing in months. And then Mercutio (played by a female) is killed by Tybalt (also played by a female). After Mercutio falls to the ground, she pulled a large square of black fabric over most of her body and I was struck by the power and simplicity in the way they chose to portray death. I watched Tybalt and Romeo fight until Steve slapped me on the shoulder, his eyes wide. While I was distracted, Mercutio had risen as a ghost, shedding the black fabric...and clothes. Mercutio (definitely a she) was now energetically and vigorously dancing around in nude colored granny panties and bra...in front of our car. The last thirty minutes we watched as Mercutio and a similarly unclad Tybalt danced mostly naked in the vicinity of our automobile.
So how did Steve and I handle this situation? After we got over our initial shock, we giggled. So. Much. Giggling. We had a choice to make. Since the exits were blocked by other patrons the only way out was to drive through the middle of the set. We chose not to do that. And so we sat. Giggling.
Ultimately here is what we decided...three of our children were having a blast and we knew that throwing everyone to the ground to cover their eyes or even acknowledging the mostly nude girls would immediately sear this moment in their mind for all the wrong reasons. So we giggled because we accidentally took our children to their first burlesque show. Welcome to the theater!
Now here is something interesting...On the way home Steve and I talked to the kids about the show and you know what? They didn't bring up the women dancing in their underwear once. Finally I did and they were confused because they did not think it was a big deal. Not sure what to make of that. Is it because we are body positive and pro healthy sexuality in our parenting style? Is it because they were with us and they trust Steve and I to only expose them to wholesome things? Is it because they assumed the girls were not nearly naked and wearing skin colored leotards since being naked and dancing in front of people is a no no? Who knows? The kids haven't mentioned it since, but I'll say this...Steve and I have not laughed that hard in a long time and that was nice.
After we put the kids to bed we worked together to prepare a dinner kit from SLICE. It was the perfect way to end such an unexpected evening.
After reading everything I could find about the show and troupe, I bought tickets. Steve and J were not thrilled about sitting through a play, but the rest of us were excited.
"The city of Verona".
(Using your imagination was crucial to one's experience.)
The first half was entertaining, mostly due to the novelty and the fact that it was our first outing in months. And then Mercutio (played by a female) is killed by Tybalt (also played by a female). After Mercutio falls to the ground, she pulled a large square of black fabric over most of her body and I was struck by the power and simplicity in the way they chose to portray death. I watched Tybalt and Romeo fight until Steve slapped me on the shoulder, his eyes wide. While I was distracted, Mercutio had risen as a ghost, shedding the black fabric...and clothes. Mercutio (definitely a she) was now energetically and vigorously dancing around in nude colored granny panties and bra...in front of our car. The last thirty minutes we watched as Mercutio and a similarly unclad Tybalt danced mostly naked in the vicinity of our automobile.
So how did Steve and I handle this situation? After we got over our initial shock, we giggled. So. Much. Giggling. We had a choice to make. Since the exits were blocked by other patrons the only way out was to drive through the middle of the set. We chose not to do that. And so we sat. Giggling.
Ultimately here is what we decided...three of our children were having a blast and we knew that throwing everyone to the ground to cover their eyes or even acknowledging the mostly nude girls would immediately sear this moment in their mind for all the wrong reasons. So we giggled because we accidentally took our children to their first burlesque show. Welcome to the theater!
J spent much of the show laying on the backseat with his ears plugged.
Probably for the best.
C was enthralled.
When Juliet raced around our car she frantically asked C where Romeo was.
He breathlessly responded, "I don't know".
Yes, the banner reads "Romeo abandoned me. I long to die".
So many follow up conversations from this show...
Romeo was running from Mercutio's ghost. He "fell asleep" on our back windshield. (We had his face grease to prove it.) Mercutio woke him up by tagging our front windshield with R+J surrounded by a heart and rapping on the glass.
Now here is something interesting...On the way home Steve and I talked to the kids about the show and you know what? They didn't bring up the women dancing in their underwear once. Finally I did and they were confused because they did not think it was a big deal. Not sure what to make of that. Is it because we are body positive and pro healthy sexuality in our parenting style? Is it because they were with us and they trust Steve and I to only expose them to wholesome things? Is it because they assumed the girls were not nearly naked and wearing skin colored leotards since being naked and dancing in front of people is a no no? Who knows? The kids haven't mentioned it since, but I'll say this...Steve and I have not laughed that hard in a long time and that was nice.
After we put the kids to bed we worked together to prepare a dinner kit from SLICE. It was the perfect way to end such an unexpected evening.
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