The Wizard Of Oz @ Ovens Auditorium

So in complete contrast to Charlie Brown last weekend, The Wizard of Oz was fantastic.  Yet only played to a half full Oven's - where are you Charlotte?

The cast was fantastic and the show did a great service to the movie.  I didn't know if the boys would follow, but apparently they had seen the movie at school before, so they were on the edge of their seats.    While special effects were at a minimum, nothing looked cheap or half-arsed.  The cast seemed to be enjoying themselves, even to a empty-ish theater.  The live dog was a definite crowd pleaser, and he seemed quite at ease under the bright lights.

At intermission, the boys freely talked about what they liked and asked questions, so much more than the standard "Good." response you get from them when you normally ask them a question.

Too often these days a standing ovation is given to a cast just for completing the show.  I don't like that it cheapens it for those that do deserve it.  Like tonight.  A great family show, very well done.

The boys seem to enjoy shows the more we go to, but when I ask if they'd ever like to try and sing / dance / act on stage the answer is a convincing "No!".  Not sure what will be next in the live theatre realm, as we have no tickets to anything upcoming.

I'm glad the boys don't have school tomorrow as 10 pm is a late one for them, (and us for that matter) and they were falling apart by the time we got home.

A Charlie Brown Christmas @ Ovens Auditorium

Well, we've finally hit a show that we didn't like.  But at least the boys did.

A Sunday afternoon at a packed Ovens with families in the midst of Christmas spirit saw, in my eyes, an amateur performance of the cartoon classic.  While a 3 piece band played on stage, even they became droll after the 3rd version of the Charlie Brown theme song.  At intermission A and I looked at each other, knowingly, and offered the boys an out.  We could leave now, or stay for the rest of the show.  I was sure we were out the door, but to my surprise the boys wanted to stay - so we did.  It has been a while since we've seen the cartoon, but it seems it bought back some good memories for the boys and they had a great time (I thought it may have been too young for them).

Maybe A & I will enjoy The Wizard Of Oz more on Thursday.

Celeste Barber @ McGlohon Theater

I am an old man who wastes a lot of time on Facebook.  In order to speak to my family I am not on Instagram, but I am aware of Aussie sensation Celeste Barber, but mostly because she is married to a guy a went to high school with - now known as Hot Husband.  But when an Aussie comes to perform in my adopted town, I'm up for it.  And if it's funny - all the better.

Because A booked a trip for work, I took gig mate Mike with me.  We met up at Malabar for dinner beforehand.  As always, this tapas restaurant was awesome.  Every bite was better than the last.  And not being with a vegetarian meant there was a wider choice of meals for me to have.  Hooray!

A near full McGlohon Theater was all checking Instagram while waiting for Barber to take the stage.  When Hot Husband came out to place her drink on the stool, the 80% female crowd went nuts.  And similarly when Celeste took to the stage.  From the get go you knew we were in for a fun night.  I think the novelty of an Australian was good for the Charlotte crowd, and the shock of her unfiltered love of taking the piss out of everyone, and herself, made for an awesome night.  The "routine" centered around how she got to where she was through the irony of her Instagram fame, it also touched on some funny stories about bullying, childbirth, double standards and insecurities of life.  We loved it.  From the 2nd last row, I could see the crowd physically moving in their seats from laughter.  Sadly she touched on Australia's tall poppy syndrome, but I love that she can rise above that and enjoy the success by being as Aussie as possible.

Poor Mike didn't know what he was in for.  But he had a great laugh and was more than glad he came along.  I probably did the wrong thing by not reaching out to Api before the show, but it has been nearly 30 years since we sat in Mr Hoddinot's Economics class and I didn't want to seem like the guy who was only reaching out because success and fame had found his family.  That's my regret for the night.  Maybe next time, because I'd surely see her show again.  Like Celeste says: the show was the Dolphin's Earrings.