Tuesday, November 13, 2012

On sharing your childhood faves with your kids


One of the most fun parts of being a mom is introducing your kids to the stuff you loved as a kid—you know, like lanyard, ice-cream sundaes, county fairs. One guess as to what I recently took Sabrina to. Ding, ding, ding! Yes, Annie The Musical, back on Broadway.

I saw the original production on Broadway when I was a kid, when Andrea McArdle starred. We've watched the movie at home several times, Sabrina's learned some of the songs in camp. So when I was invited to a preview last month, I jumped on it. Sabrina can sometimes get a little blasé about stuff ("I don't WANT to go to the museum, I've BEEN to a museum!") but she was seriously giddy from the second we stepped into the theater.

"Why's the laundry there?" Sabrina wanted to know. "Did someone forget to take it down?"

I loved watching Sabrina watching the show. The new Annie, Lilla Crawford, has an absolutely incredible voice. The orphan crew was charming and the youngest, Molly, ultra adorable; Sabrina particularly liked seeing her prancing around in Miss Hannigan's bodice stuffed with tissue paper. I'm always partial to Miss Hanigan; actress Katie Finneran was deliciously awful.


Sandy's played by Sunny, a two-year-old terrier mix; she was discovered at a shelter in Houston when she was a day away from being euthanized. Of course, she's got lots of spunk. You can't be in Annie and not have spunk.


I knew all of the songs by heart, and it took a lot of willpower to not sing along (I doubt anyone sitting near us would have appreciated it).  


My favorite Annie song is "Maybe." If we ever hang out, I could sing it for you from start to finish...for a small fee. OK, what's your favorite Annie song?

Thanks to my friends at Mama Drama for hosting us at the show. 

11 comments:

  1. lol, finally someone writes about an Annie song BESIDES
    "Tomorrow!" Tomorrow is a beautiful song of course, but sometimes it seems like that's the only song people seem to remember from it

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  2. What a nice bonding experience for you and Sabrina!! So glad you both had a good time. I totally remember going to see Annie when we were little. I also like the song "Maybe" and "It's a hard knock life" is nice as well.

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  3. Ooh, there are do many great ones! I loved 'It's a Hard Knock Life!'; 'You're Never Fully Dressed w/o a Smile'; and 'Little Girls'. Which one is my favorite would depend on my mood at the time!! I took my 7yo to see a local production of Annie recently; pure nostalgia (I also saw it with Andrea McArdle and Allison Hill). It's a treasure...

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  4. Ellen, I had a similar experience with my daughter - we saw "Annie" last weekend! And yes, it was hard not to sing along! My favorite song is "N.Y.C." Because we saw the show just during the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy, I sort of teared up when I heard it... I am so proud of my city!

    But the real importance of you taking Sabrina (and me taking my daughter) is the fact that we can bond with our kids who are NOT special needs. We can give them that close time that they deserve, and make them feel special. So many of my waking hours are spent dealing with issues of her brother... I am sure my situation is similar to most parents who have both a special needs child and a 'neurotypical' child. We have to remember to enjoy time with ALL our kids. It's so great to share a childhood favorite with our daughters!

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    1. Well said! Sabrina and I both really loved our night out.

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  5. Do I spy Australia's gorgeous Anthony Warlow playing daddy warbucks

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    1. Speaking of Australia, I saw a YouTube clip of a production from there that was so cute, with little Molly saying, "Oy dream of having a real mother and father ageen..." (I love hearing different accents)
      I wonder if they could do a show for autistic kids like the Lion King one Max went to?*
      *I don't have any kids myself btw.

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  6. I love "Maybe" too - but I'm a sucker for EVERY song in that show.

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Thanks for sharing!