Watching "Oliver," On My Daughter's Birthday, With Her On Stage...

Last night I had the opportunity to watch an excellent production of Oliver at Centerpoint Legacy Theatre. And to make the night even better, my daughter was in the show. And to improve things even more, it was her birthday.

The show marks an important milestone for my daughter. She was cast as an adult, or more specifically, she was cast as a non-child. My daughter looks younger than she actually is, and it made her day when she found out she would not be an orphan, or one of the street kids. They even gave her a solo, which she rocked (my bias is duly noted...).

The show was wonderful. The leads had amazing voices which were only matched by their acting abilities. It was a first-rate production. And I challenge you to find a meaner-looking/acting Bill Sikes than Silas Stott. Good luck, is all I have to say.

The show runs until May 13th and my daughter's in the Mon/Wed/Fri cast, but both casts are stacked with talent--a bad show you will not see.

Sharing the theatrical experience with my daughter was a blast. Since my birthday falls during the winter holidays and I've done a lot of Christmas shows, I've spent many a birthday on stage in front of an audience. At the theatre last night I told everyone I knew that it was my daughter's birthday. I don't know if it enriched their experience, but I didn't care. I was a proud papa.

My Daughter, Driving, And Rocking Out To Show Tunes...

My daughter is, I suppose you could say, a typical active teenager. She's involved in a dance troupe and she was recently cast in Centerpoint Legacy Theatre's production of Oliver. I know there are kids who do more and kids that do less, but she's plenty busy.

Tonight I drove her to a dance practice a few towns over. One of the great things I've always enjoyed when I do a show with one of my children is traveling back and forth to rehearsals. Even though I'm not in Oliver with her, I get to drive her to and from.

Tonight we had a blast.

I dialed up songs from the musical Shrek and as we drove home, I cranked it through the van's stereo. My daughter loves the music and when Who I'd Be came on, we each sang our parts. That was a lot of fun. When I got home, I downloaded the music from Oliver so we can do the same thing as we travel there and back. Yes, doing a show with your own kid is great, but singing songs from the shows as you commute is pretty good, too.