Mary Poppins. Live at the Kennedy Center.

A few months back, Dumb Dad and I took a business-for-him-pleasure-for-me trip to NYC.

While there, we took in the sights, met with friends, enjoyed some fine NYC dining, and caught a Broadway showing of In the Heights.

It was amazing.

I got hooked.

Watching live performances is friggin’ expensive quickly turning into one of my favorite things to do.

We don’t live close enough to NYC to make frequent trips to Broadway (which I would totally do a few times a month if Dumb Dad would get his act together and make us rich already), but we have decided to start going to local performances when we get the opportunity (Dumb Dad took me to see Little Shop of Horrors at Ford’s Theater for my birthday in May!).

So, when The Kennedy Center in Washington D.C. reached out to me a few weeks ago to invite me to a performance of Mary Poppins I was nearly beside myself!

I had talked about purchasing ticket to this exact show just a few weeks prior when Mimi had informed me that it was scheduled to be in town.

Those mind readers over at The Kennedy Center are something else aren’t they?!

I decided to make it a special trip for #1 and I because he is the most well behaved Dude in the bunch and I wouldn’t have to worry about him dropping his shorts and peeing in the aisle we rarely get time to share things any more and I figured he would enjoy it the most.

And, I was correct!

We had so.  Much. Fun!

First of all, The Kennedy Center is a beautiful place.

Because I’m a recently reformed antisocial, theater-a-phobe of familial and work commitments, I have never had a chance to visit the center previously (I know, go ahead and kick me in the hip for not having gone even one time in the 8 years I’ve lived in the DC Metro area).

I was initially impressed by the gorgeous lobby and the views from the terrace.

 

And, the theater itself? 

Breathtaking (and, yes, I was STANDING ON THE STAGE!).

And, let’s not forget the Kennedy Center staff.

Everyone was so friendly and helpful while we were there (even though we stayed out past intermission and were wandering around in the pitch blackness nosily stepping on toes, and shoving our butts in people’s faces as we tried to find our seats, like the big theater newbies we are!).

And the show.  OMGosh the show!

The music…perfect.

The dancing… magnificent.

The set and the lighting and the costumes…stellar.

Every little detail (to my largely untrained eyes and ears) was covered and perfect.

The Dude laughed and clapped and stayed engaged the entire showing.

And so did I (which is saying a lot because you know I like to fall asleep in dark rooms).

After the showing we even got to take a tour of the Opera House.  We took a trip backstage to meet Mary (Caroline Sheen) and Bert (Gavin Lee) before they rushed off to prepare for the evening showing.

Aside from the exhilarating show itself, taking a peek at the custom made costumes was my most favorite part!

The entire experience was very exciting for someone who has only recently discovered her love of all things theater (and Dude #1 liked it too, thanking me numerous times for taking him with me).

Dumb Dad was most excited to see the parrot head umbrella we got to commemorate the day with (but for some reason I can’t fly or carry a tune with the dang thing).  Geez, that man is SO easy to please!

I urge you to take in the show if you are in the D.C. area between now and August 22nd.

It will definitely be worth the bank you’re going to shovel out to see the thing.

Things you need to know:

• The show runs from now through August 22, 2010.
• You can catch it in the evening during the week, or at 1:30 matinee performances on Saturday and Sunday.
• Tickets start at $35 and can be purchased in person at the Kennedy Center or online at kennedy-center.org.
• The Kennedy Center charges $20 for parking on performance days, but it is also accessible via the Metro’s Orange and Blue lines.
• The show lasts for 2 hours and 45 minutes which is a lot of sitting for a hard-to-focus little person.  Think it’s probably best suited for children over age 5.
• You can preview my favorite number (Step in Time) right here on YouTube: Mary Poppins Step in Time

Hope you get a chance to check it out and have as much culture-building fun as we did. 

SO not Dumb!

pBd Admits it’s Free Disclaimer: The Kennedy Center provided me two tickets and some pretty snazzy goodies to attend the show. These made me smile. They did not make me like some marginally snarky lady with a British accent nor did they tell me I had to write about her or her nanny-ing exploits. I did that because the play was AWE-SOME and I loved it. Now, go watch it so you can judge for yourself!