Last week we took our son to Chicago as part of his birthday present. It was just a short trip, but it was jam-packed with adventures. This was his first time being on a plane (that he’s old enough to remember) so he quickly claimed a window seat so he could take it all in.

Once we dropped our luggage at the hotel, we headed out to lunch at Portillo’s. I had a chili cheese dog, Aiden chose a cheeseburger, and Jonathan had the polish sausage dog; cheese fries and a chocolate cake shake were shared by all. Then we headed to an afternoon at the Lincoln Park Zoo. If you’ve never been, this is probably my favorite zoo I’ve ever visited. It’s free, it’s gorgeous, there are lots of atypical zoo animals, it’s intermingled with city park amenities, and there are some truly breathtaking views of the city skyline. Did I mention it’s FREE? The weather was perfect for a day outside too!

After relaxing and refreshing at the hotel, we headed out for the evening. First we ate dinner the at Navy Pier location of Giordano’s. Deep dish pizza is such a quintessential Chicago thing and Aiden had never tried it! This location can have a long wait, but they will let you pre-order pizzas while you wait since they take longer to cook. We got a table quickly, but ordered mozzarella triangles and a caesar salad while we waited for our pizza. Everything was great!

After dinner we went to the Chicago Shakespeare Theater to see Six the Musical. It was such a fun show and I’ll talk more about it next month when I recap all the theatre I’ve seen in June. Aiden got pizza on his shirt at dinner and we had to pick him up a new shirt at a Navy Pier souvenir shop. Oops.

The next morning we had breakfast at Yolk, which was right around the corner from our hotel. I had the cheesy egg sandwich, Jonathan went with the chicken & waffles, and Aiden went with the happy cakes and a side of eggs. Apparently there are some Yolk locations all over the place, even not too far from home. Highly recommended!

We spent most of the morning at the Hamilton Exhibition on Northerly Island. It’s a 360-degree immersive museum-like exhibit that combines real history with the scenes of the musical. IT IS A MASTERPIECE. We spent about 2 hours going through it and I could have spent more time if Aiden had been up to it. There’s a fun surprise at the end too. It’s just breathtaking. I hope I get the opportunity to visit again.

Next we headed to find lunch! We went to Frontera Fresco inside the Macy’s on State St. I had the chipotle steak quesadillas, Aiden had cheese quesadillas, and Jonathan had the chipotle steak tacos. It was all very good and full of flavor. After lunch, we stopped at a couple of stops for necessary shopping – Garrett Popcorn and Fairgrounds Coffee – before walking over to Millennium Park to see the Cloud Gate sculpture (aka The Bean).

We did another afternoon of resting up at the hotel before heading back out. For dinner, we didn’t go anywhere too special – just Corner Bakery. It’s a simple casual dining chain and we have them at home, but it was nearby to our main attraction, Hamilton. We attended the evening performance of Hamilton and got to go onstage after the show with A. Ham himself, Miguel Cervantes. I didn’t tell Aiden about the onstage bit until intermission, so it was one last surprise. Aiden was so excited and also a little nervous to meet Miguel. It was so sweet!

All good things must come to an end. The next morning we grabbed some breakfast from Stan’s Donuts, packed up our stuff, and headed to the airport. Like I said, it was a quick trip – but it was great!

I love Chicago! I can’t wait until the next time I go back!

May 2019 was another theatre-filled month! With the end of the school year, it’s often hard to fit in so much entertainment, but I managed to do it anyway. Let’s review how the month went.

On May 2^nd, the high school where I work performed an encore of their State Championship-winning One Act Play, Euripides’ Medea. It’s a gut-punch of a story and I am so proud of everyone who was involved in the production (but I’m especially proud of my students who took part). I’d sadly missed all the performances before this one, but I am so thrilled that I was finally able to see their award-winning show.

On May 16^th, Aiden’s theatre program did their annual play performance. This year’s show was Big Mystery Under the Bip Top and Aiden was cast as Boppy the Clown. Boppy, half of a fun-loving clown duo, teams up with his partner Bippy to help solve the mystery of who is sabotaging the circus. Aiden did a great job with his expression and acting! And of course, he was thrilled to receive his end of the year trophy.

Our May show in our Broadway subscription with Dallas Summer Musicals was Miss Saigon, so Jonathan and I went on May 17^th. I’d never seen the show before and didn’t know much about it, but I liked it more than I anticipated. It’s pretty gut-wrenching to experience as a mom. Fair warning: the sexual nature of this version of the show is VERY heightened over previous versions. It’s not for kids, or anyone who is squeamish about scantily-clad women dancing provocatively or simulated sex acts. I think it definitely adds something to depicting the reality of the situation, but I certainly wasn’t expecting it. Emily Bautista is incredible as Kim, and we were fortunate enough to see her last year on the Les Miserables tour as well. If it comes to a touring venue near you, give it a chance.

On May 18^th, it was back to my school for their spring musical production of Mamma Mia. I love having the chance to see my students on stage and I had several in this show. As usual, our theatre department puts on a great show. Aiden is a fan of the Mamma Mia movie, so he really loved seeing it in person. I really love how inclusive our musical productions are; the directors always find a way to use a large ensemble to include any student who wants to participate. I can’t wait to see what next year’s show line up will be!

To top of a weekend of great performances, Lynette and I went to the Ben Platt concert on May 19^th. Okay, okay – so it’s technically not theatre. But it’s freaking BEN PLATT. He has a Tony Award, so close enough right? Ben’s new album, “Sing to Me Instead” is beautiful and his live performance is perfection. He’s funny, sweet, goofy, and sincere whilst singing through most (maybe all? I don’t remember) of the new album. I highly recommend that you download/purchase/stream the album and if the tour comes near you, get tickets!

Finally, Aiden attended a theatre camp at another local high school and they had a parent performance on May 31^st. He did such a good job keeping up with the songs and choreography! I always love to watch him perform.

May was a whirlwind of theatre and other busy events. There’s a lot of theatre experiences planned for June and I can’t wait to recap it all with you next month!

April 2019 was a busy month for theatre-related experiences! It was also Dallas Arts Month, so I feel like I celebrated appropriately by attending four theatre performances and hosting a theatre-related event. Let’s review how the month went.

On April 5^th, I took our son, Aiden, to see Hamilton for his first time. The Philip Company opened in Dallas on April 2^nd and these tickets were part of our Dallas Summer Musicals subscription package. My friends Lynette and Ashley also had tickets for that night, so I got to catch up with them at intermission. Being that it was a Friday night after a long week at school, I was afraid he’d fall asleep, but he was riveted. He loved the show so much and everyone at the stage door was so kind to him. Jon Patrick Walker (King George III) even joked with him about sneaking inside and stowing away to watch the show again the next day. He’s already talking about wanting to see it again!

If you didn’t already know, I’m on the admin team for Hamiltunes Dallas, the officially licensed Hamilton sing-along. On April 19^th, we hosted a sing-along at the Dallas Museum of Art in partnership with the Dallas Summer Musicals Associate Producers as part of their Hamilton-era themed Late Nights event. We had about 500 people turn up to the event (a record for us) and it was a total blast. If you haven’t watched my YouTube video about starting and running you own Hamiltunes events, be sure you check it out.

On a whim, my friend Lynette and I bought tickets to see Hamilton in Dallas again for April 27^th. We found some single premium seats that dropped in price about a week prior and went for it. We were much closer than last time and there were a few different actors on that day too. Seeing different people in the roles is one of my favorite things about seeing a show over and over! We got to meet so many people at the stage door and they were all super kind! I brought Strong Female Lead buttons from An Actor Plans to give to each of the actresses on for the Schuyler Sisters and they were so appreciative.

On April 28^th, I went to Texas Wesleyan University’s production of Avenue Q. Two former students from my teaching days are in the theatre program there, and I always love to see their shows. I had never seen Avenue Q, but I knew some of the songs. It was so funny and the acting, sets, puppets (well -everything) was all very well-done. I’m so proud of Kim and Jasmine! And I’m forever grateful to Jasmine for being part the group of my 1^st period AP Government class that introduced me to Hamilton.

Back when the Hamilton Dallas tickets went on sale, I bought a spare set of tickets to take my mom for April 30^th. Storms were predicted but we headed to Dallas anyway, waiting to enter the theatre even as my son & husband were hiding in our tornado closet during a tornado warning at home (everyone/everything is fine, by the way). It was her first time seeing Hamilton and she really enjoyed it. Through a special arrangement from a Hamiltunes fan, we met up with Elijah Malcomb (John Laurens/Philip Hamilton) after the show for a tour of the stage and backstage area. Elijah is the nicest guy and he showed us things I haven’t seen before, even having been on the stage in Chicago and New York. It was a great night to finish out the month of April!

April was a great month for theatre, bringing my Hamilton viewing count to eight and giving me the opportunity to see Avenue Q for the first time. There’s a lot of theatre planned for May too! Follow along on Instagram to live it in the moment with me, or come back here next month and we’ll rewind through May together.

Hey y’all, I just wanted to quickly drop in and let you know that I am launching my YouTube Channel in one week – April 1st, 2019!

Look forward to videos on my theatre-going adventures, plan with me and planner flip-throughs, travel planning, memory keeping, planner conference coverage, and maybe even the often-asked for Hamiltunes how-to! My introduction video goes live on April 1st, then weekly videos every Monday is the plan (but if life happens you might have to wait – I’m gonna be real about that up front!). Go ahead and check out the channel page and subscribe now so you don’t miss a thing! Visit my YouTube Channel here