All I can say is “WOW”! What a magical experience! Last weekend we took my entire fam to the afternoon performance of Disney’s Alladin presented by Children’s Theatre of Charlotte. My children were sitting on the edge of their seats for the entire 60 minutes – that’s hard to do with a 9-year-old, 7-year-old and 4-year-old identical “twinkies” as we like to call them.
The story of Alladin is set in the heart of an enchanted city, poor but charming Aladdin meets free-spirited Princess Jasmine, whose royal status places her beyond his reach. His whole life changes with one rub of a lamp, as a fun-loving, fast-talking Genie appears and grants him three wishes. The Genie was an absolute riot and made it entertaining for both children and parents alike – I found myself cracking up at every single one of her one-liners! The Academy Award-winning songs including “A Whole New World” and “Friend Like Me” made Disney’s Aladdin such a treat for our crew. Bonus for mom, I had a cool celeb-sighting when Angie Harmon strolled right on by with her children after the show. And let me tell you Smarties, she is even MORE gorgeous in real life than on screen, if that’s even possible. I digress.
I was so impressed with every aspect of this show – from the ease of parking, to the beautiful and authentic costumes, to the elaborate stage, to the unbelievable talent and passion from the entire cast. This performance is a MUST-SEE for all families in Charlotte. We take for granted the amazing facilities for the arts that we have here in the QC. Let’s support the arts, especially with this performance. You will not be disappointed!
The Children’s Theatre website recommends this performance for ages 6 through high school. I have to say, I think it was absolutely doable for any 4-year-old and possibly even a 3 1/2-year-old who is really into princess stories and who can sit still through a movie. I did not hear one peep out of the audience that was filled with children of all ages with the exception of roars of laughter or singing along to the music. But you know your child best, so if in doubt, maybe sit this one out.
With performances through October 24, 2010, it’s not too late! Tickets are $18 for general seating and $24 for front orchestra. Check out Children’s Theatre’s website for show times and ticket availability. I hope you enjoy the show as much as we did – we even dusted off our old DVD to relive the magic one more time!
6 comments
Did you sit in general or orchestra and do you feel that one or the other provided a better view of the show?Thanks!
That is a very good question and I should have addressed that above! Our seats were in front orchestra and on the day of our show, it appeared to be on a first-come, first-served basis in your section. So we got the best seats with 6 in a row in the orchestra section based on the time that we arrived. You should definitely arrive 20 minutes early to guarantee the best seats available. I'm not sure if this is how it is always done, I'm going to contact Children's Theatre to find out – so stay tuned! As for general vs. orchestra, since it's such an intimate setting, all of the seats seem good to me. The key would be to arrive early. Next time and since my fam is so large, we could easily get away with general admission.
Just in from Children's Theatre:In general, the Front Orchestra section of the McColl Family Theatre (where Disney’s Aladdin is featured) is the first 8 rows. For the Wachovia Playhouse, which seats about half the capacity of the McColl, the Front Orchestra section is generally the first 5 rows. They don’t assign individual seats in either section, so they are available on a first-come, first-serve basis (although of course your ticket guarantees that you will get a seat!). This is always the policy – it helps keep ticket prices as low as possible and also allows them to be very flexible with exchanges, which they know is important for families. You can exchange your tickets for any other available show in our season with no fee, as long as you let Children's Theatre know by 5 pm the Friday before weekend shows. The Box Office recommends that patrons who want to get very specific seats arrive about 30 minutes before the show starts, which is when they open the theatre doors. Although, both theatres are designed to be intimate spaces without a bad seat in the house!
We went to see the show on Friday evening (me and my 2 kids and my girlfriend and her 2 kids – husbands weren't interested). We thoroughly enjoyed the show too, but I guess I was hoping it would've been longer. I believe Beauty and the Beast even had an intermission. Costumes were elaborate and gorgeous. Anyway, there are never assigned seats at CT. They are always general admission – in both theaters. And incidentally, I've been taking my son since he was a young 3 and has always enjoyed the shows immensely, but he's a very calm child.
Our posts must've crossed! Didn't mean to be redundant!
Brilliant minds think alike:-) I didn't go to Beauty & the Beast, and totally wished I did! I like the 60 minute length for the littler ones, but I was looking for more time myself since I was hooked! Great show!