2026, Art, Kids, Music, Theatre

Never Need a Reason….

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Thursday night I went to see my little friend Minnie in Mary Poppins at the Wayzata Community Church.  I’ve been to several of her performances in plays the past couple of years but this was the first one at this venue.  Apparently they’ve been doing productions for 25 years. Who knew?

It was a quite a production with a cast of close to 40 with a huge stage (in the sanctuary) and a nice-sized band.  (So, in addition to Minnie in the play, I got to enjoy her father playing the trombone as well!)

It was a little overblown (in my opinion).  Every now and then the band’s background music drowned out the dialog but the biggest problem was really the size of the cast.  Every big number had almost the entire cast on stage with all the “main stars” in the front; normally not a problem but a lot of the not-main cast were the younger actors/actresses so you really couldn’t see them easily.  It was just kind of a mass of bodies.  For those of us there to see a friend or family member (probably most of us in the sanctuary), it was difficult.

Minnie really shone  in “Step in Time”, the number done by all the chimney sweeps.  She was the youngest of the sweeps but she held her own.  She knew the steps and kept up with the older/bigger dancers.  She clearly knew all the words and she has a great smile.

Another great piece of the evening was sitting with Marie, Minnie’s little sister.  Marie had a fabulous Mary Poppins dress and shoes, along with her Mary Poppins doll and umbrella.  She looked so cute.

So it was a fun night.  I get to see Marie in a “showcase” next week.  I love being the neighborhood grandma!

What do you wear when you’re out for the evening??  Favorite musical?

40 thoughts on “Never Need a Reason….”

    1. When I was in fourth grade my class did the song Oklahoma, but using the words “January when the wind comes sweeping down the plains”. I don’t remember the rest of the words that we sang, but apparently we were a big hit, especially at the end when we spelled out January while bobbing up and down!

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  2. My standby attire is jeans and a t-shirt. I like to dress it up with a blazer or a nice cardigan. Flannel shirts too.

    The Sound of Music was always a favorite. I liked Mary Poppins too, but the story of Sound of Music captured my heart.

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  3. Usually wear my best black pants and a non-every-day top… It’s been so long since I wore a skirt, I hardly remember how.

    Might be West Side Story – still am surprised by how much I love that music.

    Or Carousel, because I know every word of the lyrics – my sis and I got to be part of the children’s chorus in a Storm Lake production in 1959 – our mom played Julie Jordan, the lead. Unforgettable experience for a 10-year-old in a small town.

    I know hardly anything recent of Broadway musicals…

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  5. Rise and Shine, Baboons,

    Cabaret is still my favorite. The music is brilliant. Joel Gray and Liza Minelli were made for those roles.

    I also find the songs and arrangements in The Music Man to be wonderful, but it does not get favorite status because, in the 1950s-60s tradition, Marion marries the slacker con man AND WHY EVER WOULD SHE DO THIS. He is nothing but trouble.

    Evening out: Black pants, top and an old scarf to dress it up because I won’t buy new dressy clothes at this point in life. I also have a funeral outfit which I am using far more than I would like at this point in life.

    Lou’s caregiver is stuck in the aftermath of the Wisconsin blizzard so I am on my own with husband today.

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    2. Well, it’s a good day to stay put. Enjoy!

      The roads in southern MN are still pretty bad. There are many that are listed “No travel advised,” and some are closed. I’ve heard the streets around town are slippery and hard to navigate, with snow not completely cleared yet.

      I spent an hour trying to unthaw my patio door. That’s the door Maggie and I use to do her business. The snow is too deep for her now, except in some places. I had to put a fan on the door to unthaw it, then chip the ice away from the outside. It drifted in around that door so much that there is about 2 – 3 feet of snow in front of it. The HOA doesn’t clear off our patios, so it’s my job if I want it cleared. I’ve made a shovel-width trail for Maggie and I to get out. Now I need a nap.

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  6. I wish I could get to the Finnish Bistro for brunch, or at least an almond Kringle slice!

    Hard to choose a favorite musical, but having been norn in Iowa, I feel a certain obligation there.

    Is there a Minnesota musical? Can’t think of one, which seems odd.

    Going to a show means black pants and a jacket these days, not that I ever really go out.

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      1. It might be based on the MN Fair, but the script says Iowa. I have never been to the Iowa fair, but only missed the Minnesota State Fair twice in the 26 years I’ve lived here.

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  7. It’s been a while since I went “out for the evening.” When I do, I try to dress for the occasion. Certainly Not more than a suit and tie. Dressy casual is my default.

    My hands-down favorite musical is “West Side Story.” There are about ten others tied for distant second.

    Guys and Dolls
    Annie
    Grease
    Cabaret
    Singin’ in the Rain
    Chicago
    The Music Man . . .

    You get the idea.

    Chris in Owatonna

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  8. Morning-
    There are so many good musicals! Some aren’t as popular as others. And not all have happy endings. Come From Away, Chicago, Passing Strange, Last Five Years.

    Careful digging out. I haven’t tried yet…will go out this afternoon hoping the wind will die down some.

    I usually wear sleeves if it’s formal. 🙂

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      1. Because the snow will melt soon, we shoveled as little as possible–out of the front door and then the sidewalk. That was all. It was very, very heavy, wet snow.

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  9. Thinking of the enunciation discussion of the other day has me wondering if Gilbert & Sullivan count as musicals. I think I can mostly still do Mikado by heart. Silly show, but I love chewing out the words.

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      1. I’m wrong, it was more something scientific – I remember the word Boulian, and there was a line “I built a better model than the one at _____ General.”

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  12. I have a couple of dresses that I occasionally wear for a night out–very basic, nothing fancy. Or a nice pair of slacks and top.

    Mary Poppins was a favorite musical when I was growing up. I knew all the songs by heart and played them on the piano. I like musicals with a good story rather than a bunch of songs strung together with a weak or nonexistent plot. A few favorites are Les Miserables, Fiddler on the Roof, Cabaret, South Pacific, My Fair Lady. If I was counting movie musicals, I’d add Meet Me in St. Louis, Wizard of Oz, Singing in the Rain.

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