# The "Greatest Family Musical Ever" starting at 7:30 on a school night! Ugh. **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [November 19, 2009, 12:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-greatest-family-musical-ever-starting-at-7-30-on-a-school-night-ugh/518096 "2009-11-19T00:30:30Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 14\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![norinew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/eb9ed0/32.png) [@norinew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/norinew)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2009, 12:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-greatest-family-musical-ever-starting-at-7-30-on-a-school-night-ugh/518096/21 "2009-11-20T12:00:36Z")
> [@gwendee](#): > > How does your daughter’s school handle partial days? Not saying that’s what I’d do, just wondering. Well, like being out sick, the kid is expected to complete any work they missed. If it’s only, say, an hour, she may choose to stay inside at recess time and crank the work out then. If it’s more than that, she’ll bring the missed work home with her as homework. ---
**Author:** ![Martini\_Enfield](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/martini_enfield/32/11123_2.png) [@Martini\_Enfield](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Martini_Enfield)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2009, 12:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-greatest-family-musical-ever-starting-at-7-30-on-a-school-night-ugh/518096/22 "2009-11-20T12:16:27Z")
> [@norinew](#): > > Well, like being out sick, the kid is expected to complete any work they missed. If it’s only, say, an hour, she may choose to stay inside at recess time and crank the work out then. If it’s more than that, she’ll bring the missed work home with her as homework. I’m surprised they care that much to be honest- but you’re absolutely doing the right thing taking her to the show! I’m sure you’ll all have a great time. ---
**Author:** ![norinew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/eb9ed0/32.png) [@norinew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/norinew)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2009, 2:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-greatest-family-musical-ever-starting-at-7-30-on-a-school-night-ugh/518096/23 "2009-11-20T14:55:32Z")
> [@Martini\_Enfield](#): > > I’m surprised they care that much to be honest- but you’re absolutely doing the right thing taking her to the show! I’m sure you’ll all have a great time. Yeah, it sort of surprises me, too. Public schools in Maryland, kids were expected to do all the regular homework the other kids had when they missed school, and were expected to take make-up tests, but that was it. Here, they’re expected to complete _all_ the work their classmates complete. ---
**Author:** ![slitterst](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecc23a/32.png) [@slitterst](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/slitterst)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2009, 6:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-greatest-family-musical-ever-starting-at-7-30-on-a-school-night-ugh/518096/24 "2009-11-20T18:06:47Z")
> [@norinew](#): > > They (the commercials) are _selling_ it as “a family favorite!” Don’t you think it could maybe start an hour earlier? If it did, I’d seriously consider shelling out the bucks and taking her. As it is, though, _only_ younger kids who live in the _immediate vicinity_ are going to be able to see it. One a one-night stop, it’s going to take the technical staff right up until curtain to get everything ready. Starting earlier in the morning is rarely an option as they’re often driving in from the previous night’s performance. And Equity (the actor’s union) has pretty strict requirements for time off between performances/cities, and those requirements are even stricter when the cast is made up of minors. That said, I’m willing to be that the local promoter never even though of starting the show earlier. Theatre folks find a curtain time that works for them and rarely consider changing it. If anyone mentioned it to the promoter it may have already been too late to renegotiate the contract with the tour. ---
**Author:** ![norinew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/eb9ed0/32.png) [@norinew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/norinew)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2009, 6:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-greatest-family-musical-ever-starting-at-7-30-on-a-school-night-ugh/518096/25 "2009-11-20T18:38:17Z")
> [@slitterst](#): > > One a one-night stop, it’s going to take the technical staff right up until curtain to get everything ready. Starting earlier in the morning is rarely an option as they’re often driving in from the previous night’s performance. And Equity (the actor’s union) has pretty strict requirements for time off between performances/cities, and those requirements are even stricter when the cast is made up of minors. > > That said, I’m willing to be that the local promoter never even though of starting the show earlier. Theatre folks find a curtain time that works for them and rarely consider changing it. If anyone mentioned it to the promoter it may have already been too late to renegotiate the contract with the tour. That’s an interesting bit of insight, with some information I’d never even thought to think about! Thank you! 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![norinew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/eb9ed0/32.png) [@norinew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/norinew)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2009, 1:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-greatest-family-musical-ever-starting-at-7-30-on-a-school-night-ugh/518096/26 "2009-12-09T13:26:08Z")
I am excited! (Maybe not as excited as **mudgirl** , but excited! The show is at 7:30 _tonight_! According to Google Maps, the theater is about an hour and 15 minutes away. We’ll want to arrive early, of course, and stop for a nice dinner on the way. As soon as **mudgirl** gets home from school (about 3:30), we are going to change into our “theater-going clothes” (she’s got a new dress!), and leave out of here about 4PM. From here, it’s a half-hour into Clarksburg, WV, where we will be having dinner at our favorite steak-house. From there, it should be less than an hour to the theater, and given the nav system in the car, I shouldn’t have _too_ much trouble finding the place. I’m still allowing myself plenty of leeway for getting lost, figuring out parking (I don’t know if parking is free, or if I have to find my own in a garage, or what. . .I do know I’m wearing flat shoes in case we have to walk a few blocks!), get to the theater, find our seats. Tickets are already in my wallet. Wheeeeee! I sure hope this lives up to our expectations! Since it’s a National Tour, I’m expecting it to be pretty good. ---
**Author:** ![MsWhatsit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/eb8c5e/32.png) [@MsWhatsit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MsWhatsit)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2009, 2:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-greatest-family-musical-ever-starting-at-7-30-on-a-school-night-ugh/518096/27 "2009-12-09T14:21:57Z")
Oh, how exciting. I hope you guys have a grand time! I take MiniWhatsit to the Nutcracker every year, and buy a new dress for her and all, and it’s one of the highlights of my holiday season. Enjoy! ---
**Author:** ![Bookkeeper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bookkeeper/32/281_2.png) [@Bookkeeper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bookkeeper)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2009, 2:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-greatest-family-musical-ever-starting-at-7-30-on-a-school-night-ugh/518096/28 "2009-12-10T02:57:33Z")
We await the after-show update with bated breath! ---
**Author:** ![Eonwe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eonwe/32/240_2.png) [@Eonwe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eonwe)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2009, 3:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-greatest-family-musical-ever-starting-at-7-30-on-a-school-night-ugh/518096/29 "2009-12-10T03:20:22Z")
Yay! One of my good friends is in the cast (Mrs. Pugh). I hope you enjoy it! They were here on the 1st, but I was working that night. ---
**Author:** ![norinew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/eb9ed0/32.png) [@norinew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/norinew)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2009, 5:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-greatest-family-musical-ever-starting-at-7-30-on-a-school-night-ugh/518096/30 "2009-12-10T05:26:27Z")
Well, we just got home, and it’s almost 12:30! **Mudgirl** did sleep most of the way home! Had a devil of a time finding the place! WVU is a _big_ campus! Plus, the Coliseum (where all the football games are) is right across the street from where the Arts Center is, and there was a big game tonight, and traffic was _insane_. Parking at the Arts Center lot was full by the time we got there, but the parking attendant pointed us to another place, not _too_ far away, and we managed to be seated by 7:25. The entire cast was really, truly excellent. All excellent singers, actors and dancers. The actress playing Miss Hannigan was more reminiscent of Kathy Bates’ Miss Hannigan than Carol Burnett’s (and I consider Carol Burnett to be the Gold Standard of Miss Hannigans!) but still truly excellent. The show was almost magical. The sets were wonderful, even the “extras” were great! **Mudgirl** _loved_ it, and even with the difficulty getting there and the late night getting home, I’m so glad we went! ---
**Author:** ![Meyer6](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/cc9497/32.png) [@Meyer6](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Meyer6)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2009, 8:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-greatest-family-musical-ever-starting-at-7-30-on-a-school-night-ugh/518096/31 "2009-12-11T20:47:47Z")
That is so cool **norinew**! When I was about that age my Dad took me all the way to Calgary (about 3 hours drive from where I grew up and an exciting _big city_ for us) to see The Phantom of the Opera. He took a day off work and pulled me out of school for a day and we stayed in a hotel after the show. He even went to the extra trouble of booking one of those family hotels with a pool and a waterslide so I could go swimming the next day! That was more than 20 years ago and I still remember it fondly. My Dad was very busy with work during my childhood but he was careful to foster a love of theatre and music in us, and those memories mean so much more than that one day of school missed. So, did she make it to school today? I bet her friends were really jealous if she went in. Did you get her a t-shirt or a program or something to show her friends, or was everything really expensive? ---
**Author:** ![norinew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/eb9ed0/32.png) [@norinew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/norinew)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2009, 9:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-greatest-family-musical-ever-starting-at-7-30-on-a-school-night-ugh/518096/32 "2009-12-11T21:14:51Z")
> [@Meyer6](#): > > That is so cool **norinew**! When I was about that age my Dad took me all the way to Calgary (about 3 hours drive from where I grew up and an exciting _big city_ for us) to see The Phantom of the Opera. He took a day off work and pulled me out of school for a day and we stayed in a hotel after the show. He even went to the extra trouble of booking one of those family hotels with a pool and a waterslide so I could go swimming the next day! Your Dad officially rocks! > [@](#): > > So, did she make it to school today? I bet her friends were really jealous if she went in. Did you get her a t-shirt or a program or something to show her friends, or was everything really expensive? I let her sleep in, but got her to school by 9:15, just about an hour and a half late. I _would_ have bought her a T-shirt, probably, but during intermission, we had _just_ enough time to go to the bathroom (ladies’ room=long lines!) and get a bottle of water and bag of Skittles, before they dimmed the lights to signal the show was starting again. By the time the show was over, she was much too tired to think about going out to see if they were still selling shirts and such! Everyone got a program, though; I’ve set hers in a safe place for her. ---
**Author:** ![sideshowkar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/5e9695/32.png) [@sideshowkar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sideshowkar)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2009, 11:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-greatest-family-musical-ever-starting-at-7-30-on-a-school-night-ugh/518096/33 "2009-12-11T23:22:55Z")
On my way to go see my first stage musical in the late 70’s (which happened to be Annie) we got stuck behind a rock slide on the Pacific Coast Highway. We’d taken it to avoid the freeway heading into LA and the slide happened only about 5 minutes before so we didn’t hit traffic until we were right up to it. We had to turn around, cut back through the mountains with all the other people trying to get past the slide, and barely made it to the show. It had just started and they weren’t going to let us in, but I was about 9 and started crying and they took pity on us. It was a matinée and afterwards the cast came out and answered questions. Then we went to Bob’s Big Boy for dinner and all of the orphan girls in the cast came in and were seated in the booth next to us. I don’t remember this part because I was starstruck, it was because they came in alone as a group and were completely guardian-free and were totally casual about it (and responsible, like little adults), and I thought it was awesome. I can’t visualize anything about the show itself other than Annie getting pushed or picked up, which knocked and a basket or something out of her hand and into the orchestra pit, and someone slipped it back on stage while Annie was trying not to laugh. Childhood flashback over… I actually came in to say that I just saw a different family musical - Mary Poppins - last night. It was in downtown LA and I’m sure a lot people were coming in from various suburbs like we did. There were a bunch of kids there for an 8:00 show time. It didn’t end until around 10:30 and it was raining when we left, so it was slow on the freeway all the way home. I wonder how many of those kids got to school on time this morning. ---
**Author:** ![VernWinterbottom](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/c67d28/32.png) [@VernWinterbottom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VernWinterbottom)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2009, 12:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-greatest-family-musical-ever-starting-at-7-30-on-a-school-night-ugh/518096/34 "2009-12-12T00:45:09Z")
I didn’t see this thread until now, but I’m SO glad that you went to Annie. Mudgirl will probably remember that night forever. My daughter, also nine, has seen two quite well done high school productions of Annie, one of which had one of her classmates playing the role of the littlest orphan. I think she was six when we took her to a very good summer stock production of Beauty and the Beast as a birthday present. Live theater is something all children should experience. The trend of adapting some of the animated Disney musicals into stage presentations offers a wider variety of shows aimed more to children, but many of the classic Broadway musicals are great family entertainment. Happy to hear Mudgirl loved the show. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-greatest-family-musical-ever-starting-at-7-30-on-a-school-night-ugh/518096.md?page=1)