A Weekend for Live Performances

I haven't done much posting this weekend because I haven't been home or near a computer long enough to do it. We've spent the past two nights at live performances and I thought I'd do a little review.

Friday night we attended the production of "Thoroughly Modern Millie" as performed by the Mission Viejo High School Drama and Music departments. This is the first musical I've seen there, mainly because this is the first year that my kids have been involved. Both kids played in the orchestra for the nearly 3 hour long show.

All I have to say is WOW! Mission has some really talented actors, singers and musicians (I've known about the musician part for some time, but haven't ever seen all three come together). It was a very entertaining and funny production, with great performances from everyone involved. I'll be amazed if some of the performers don't win county-wide acting awards for their performances, especially the seniors who played "Millie" and "Mrs. Mears", the comic 'bad guy' in the play. I have to give special kudos to Lexxy Narma who played Mrs. Mears - what a crackup! I've watched her in productions since she was a squeaky-voiced 7th grader acting in Junior High drama productions with my daughter, and her facial expressions and body movements were abolutely perfect for the role.

The orchestra was on top of their game and it was great fun for us to see both kids in the pit as part of the production. They've done three shows this weekend and have three more next weekend. I think tickets are sold out, but if you're in South Orange County and want a good evening of fun, check with the school to see if tickets are available. I think they may add a matinee if demand calls for it.

Last night we were at the Honda Center in Anaheim (formerly The Pond) for a Gaither Homecoming Tour concert. Our seats gave us an excellent view of the stage, but the designers of that facility apparently built the seats for 12,000 munchkins. I'm not that wide, but I've got bruises on my hips from trying to squeeze into the narrow seats, which if course required me to stand everytime somebody needed to pass by since my knees were up against the row in front of me.

The other issue with the Honda Center is the dearth of restroom facilities. The crowd for this event was largely middle age to senior, and when intermission finally came around 2 1/2 hours into the event, I'd swear that every single person decided to hit the head. Even the men's rooms had lines out the doors and the women's rooms were ridiculous. I was on the lower level which meant that everyone in the hundreds of floor seats along with the lower level seating all headed to the same bathrooms. I ended up climbing several flights of stairs to get to the upper level where the restrooms weren't so impacted. Frankly, I'll think twice before attending another event over there.

Although we had a good view of the stage (which was set up in the round), the sound was less than optimal. There's a pretty bad echo in that room, and the positioning of the speakers meant we felt like we were hearing everything second hand. We could hear the band pretty well, but the vocals were not where I'd like them. The show featured a variety of artists including Jeff and Sherry Easter, The Isaacs, Signature Sound Quartet, Gaither Vocal Band, plus various soloists. It was okay and there were some good performances, but I miss a lot of the legends of gospel music who used to travel with the tour but have since passed away. A lot of the generation of gospel music pioneers who made up the Homecoming Tour in its early days 15 years or so ago are now gone.

Which show was the better value? Definitely the high school musical. At $12 per ticket I had three hours of great entertainment. I didn't feel the same way about the 4 hour Gaither show that had ticket prices at $36+. I probably won't attend another one.

Both events were enjoyable, but there's nothing like seeing your kids and other kids you know knocking the socks off the audience with great performances in that little high school theater.