My youngest kiddo, Daisy May, turned three last week, and we celebrated by taking her to her first “official” show at Beef & Boards Dinner Theatre. (Her first time there was in the womb, when I was in a production of “A Christmas Carol,” but I suppose that doesn’t really count.) Daisy has seen dress rehearsals since then, but this was the first time she was old enough for the whole experience: a dinner buffet and a full-length production of “The Sound of Music.”
There were all kinds of kid-friendly (and adult-friendly) options on the buffet, but Daisy was pretty determined to make an entire meal out of the cheese and crackers on the table. The audience applauded for her when my actor friend Eddie Curry (who was hilarious as Max in the production) announced her big birthday. She applauded herself too. Why not? Being three is pretty cool.
Her little eyes got wide once the lights went down and the show started. Thanks to her showtune-loving mom and big sister, Daisy is VERY familiar with the music. She looked ready to jump on stage and become the eighth Von Trapp child when they started singing “Doe, a Deer.” (Daisy has actually retitled this song “Me, a Name I Call Myself,” which makes sense in light of the typical me-focused toddler perspective.) Watching her tiny, baby doll mouth trying to keep up with all of those delicious lyrics was adorable. We loved all of the kids, and grew especially attached to the Reverend Mother, played by Suzanne Stark. Her voice simply blew us away. (“She is a rrrreally, rrrreally good singer!” Daisy noted after “Climb Every Mountain” ended.)
And it was a rrrreally, rrrreally nice night out. We girls are unapolagetically belting out those Rogers & Hammerstein tunes non-stop in the house and car. (Sorry, boys, that’s just the way it’s going to be.) I am so glad my youngest Broadway baby has now been officially christened as such. Thank you, Beef & Boards friends, for another great show!
So long, farewell!
