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| - I've wanted to catch a show at the Phoenix Theatre ever since I moved into the valley fourteen years ago, and I finally bit the bullet and bought a Flex-6 pass last October/November. I believe I paid around $312 for the six passes, which allowed me to choose from ANY of the seats available for purchase. (I found switching seats, even during the night of performance, or switching show dates isn't a problem, as long as seats are still available.) It's good to ask those at the box office what the two venues are like and not just look at the seat maps, as the maps do not convey the distances of seats are from the stage, nor from each other. Also, your enjoyment of these seats depend on what performances you are going to see. The first show I saw was Billy Elliott, and the limelight will always belong to the eponymous character, whose facial gestures and electrified performances make you wish you were up close, front and center. Indeed, I'd considered returning for a second viewing just to have a closer look, but wanted the opportunity to see the remaining five musicals still available to me. Other shows, such as Bullets Over Broadway, would be best seen from close to center and a bit further from the stage to allow you to enjoy every detail, from music and dance performance to costume/stage props and choreography.
Let's see, the next five shows were also delightfully fun and moving and made me feel thankful for the opportunities to be a part of the magic:
(Billy Elliott @ Main Stage)
Twist Your Dickens @ Hormel Theatre
Baskerville @ Main Stage
Bullets Over Broadway @ Main Stage
Scottsboro Boys @ Hormel Theatre
Beehive, the 60s Musical @ Main Stage
All of them were very enjoyable and, with the exception Beehive, had mixed demographics (from very young to very old). I think I was among five (at the most ten) people who were under 50 among the Beehive audience, and the cast of six young women singers and dancers and (the mostly, if not all) male band members were very talented, but you can only get so much huzzahs, jigs, and applause out of those with achy bones! I think with a younger, more diversified audience, the performers would've been more inspired to ROCK out. Most of those present definitely laughed, sang, and danced in our seats-- I know I did!
I'd received an email alerting me of a 6:30 pm "A Date with a Dramaturg**," which was held an hour before the 5/18/2017 Beehive show at the second level, above the Hormel Theatre. I walked in slightly late and the dramaturg was speaking of Connie Francis' influence during the 1960s, and he followed with the British Invasion (The Beatles, Petula Clark, Dusty Springfield), the assassinations of JFK and RFK and the Civil Rights movement (Aretha Franklin, Tina Turner), and then Vietnam War and Woodstock (Janis Joplin). The session heightened my interest to see the show. It was the first time I went up to the second level ("climb up the red stairs!"), and the chairs and chaise lounge there are so comfortable and inviting! A great space I'd like to visit again.
I was hoping to buy another season pass for the 2017-2018 season, but the pricing and seat selections are so diversified and multi-tiered that I could not tailor one to include all the shows I want, so I'm always overwhelmed and so choose to put the decision-making for another day. Also, I am not able to renew my membership online (a glitch Teri Handler, the personal ticket concierge I was "assigned to" and who had to resign due to personal reasons very recently, had mentioned was affecting a few members' experiences), so I'm not able to give the new season priority at the moment. Hoping to be able to join PT for another season, or perhaps I could take this time to help support Gammage on its new season, instead?
**According to dictionary.com, a dramaturg is "a specialist in dramaturgy, especially one who acts as a consultant to a theater company, advising them on possible repertory."
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