Day 1069 Critics

 

Another great show at Theatre By The Sea—this time seeing Waitress with my daughter. Jess and I bought last-minute tickets to catch the performance that everyone’s been raving about, ending up with amazing seats.  She and I have been theatre partners for ages now—one of the perks of having a daughter is having a built-in theatre buddy. We’ve become amateur theatre critics, rating and ranking each show, and both recognizing the need for the theatre etiquette book I keep threatening to write!

The loud man behind us was unintentionally entertaining, commenting after each funny moment with, “That was a good one,” or “Well done.” Unfortunately, he wore his hat throughout the performance. Thankfully, he was behind us—otherwise, we might’ve asked him to remove it! The woman in front of me had her glasses resting on top of her head, another theatre faux pas, though she thankfully wore them properly during the show. The woman beside me, however, kept hers perched on her head the entire time—surely blocking the view of the person behind her.

When at the theatre, nothing belongs on your head. It’s hard enough for those behind you to find a good viewing angle, so be considerate: keep still and remove anything that could obstruct someone else’s view.

As for the show itself—it was well done. The casting was strong and the voices were amazing. But my daughter and I both agreed that we’re not big fans of romanticizing adultery, the central theme of Waitress, so the content wasn’t a hit for us. Maybe we're just a couple of prudes, but it was hard for us to like the characters.

On the drive home, we always rank the shows we’ve seen. Jess's all-time favorite is still Legally Blonde, while mine is Hair, with Miss Saigon as a close runner-up. It's rare that we see a show we don’t like, although it has happened. Usually, even if a show doesn't crack our top ten, we still appreciate the experience.

How lucky am I that my grown-up daughter still chooses me as her theatre buddy? These shared moments—critiquing shows, laughing at audience quirks, and making memories together—are truly the best part of it all.

Here's to amazing daughters and many more curtain calls together.