A Christmas Carol 2012

Stillaguamish Valley school offered discount tickets to Dicken's A Christmas Carol at the Act Theater in Seattle.  I knew Elizabeth would enjoy going, so I got tickets just for her and me.  We had to leave early to get there in time.  I left Isaac in charge of Miriam and William for the half hour it would take until the bus picked them up for school.  As I was getting ready to leave, Isaac started giving instructions to Miriam.  "Brush your hair." "Brush your teeth."  "Eat your breakfast."  He kept repeating himself, getting frustrated with her.  As I was going out the door, she came up to me and said in a tearful little voice, "Mommy, I don't know which one to do first."  I felt so bad for my little girl.  She was trying hard to follow instructions but as soon as she'd get started on one, he'd tell her to do the other.

Elizabeth and I made good time to Seattle, avoiding most of the traffic by using the carpool lane.  We arrived at the theater about 45 minutes early so we explored the Washington Convention Center.  They had a lot of public art on the walls.  After seeing the art and playing a bit on the escalators, we found a window where we could sit on a bench and look over the street.  People watching is always fun.  We'd both brought books but watching the people and traffic go by was much more entertaining!

Our bird's eye view.

I've never been the the ACT theater before and wasn't sure what to expect.  It has a fairly large lobby with sweeping ramps leading to the second floor on either side.  Once up the ramps, we were led to the theater by an usher.  As we walked through the doors, I was surprised to see how small the actual theater was.  I was also surprised to see that it's a theater in the round.  I was worried that perhaps the production would be too contemporary for Elizabeth.  I needn't have worried.  The production was amazing!

This photo was published in the newspaper so it must be OK!

Apparently ACT performs A Christmas Carol each year.  We were seated in the first row, on the same level as the stage.  At some points during the production, we were showered with glitter or fake snow.  They had things that came down from the rafters and things that raised and lowered into the floor.  There were fog machines and special effects.  Actors would come and go from five different entrances.  The 90 minute show was a faithful retelling of the original and it kept us both entranced the entire time. I wish I could have taken a photo, but no photography is allowed inside the theater.

Standing in front of the theater

After the play, we ate lunch at the Cheesecake Factory, Elizabeth's favorite place to eat.  It's across the street from the convention center which shares the block with the theater.

My lunch, the ultimate grilled eggplant sandwich, yum!

Elizabeth's lunch, chicken fingers and fries.

Elizabeth wanted to get a few pictures of the inside of the convention center before heading home.

We could have eaten much more cheaply at one of the restaurants in the convention center but it wouldn't have been as exciting to Elizabeth as a visit to the Cheesecake Factory.

She loved this tree in the lobby.

The ornaments were huge!

We had a great day together.  She's told me several times, "Thanks for bringing just me, it made me feel very special."  Once the other children heard her review of the play, Anastaya is ready to go next year! I doubt Elizabeth will want to be left behind.