Long Party of Five: A Royal Tea Party

Wednesday, October 27, 2010

A Royal Tea Party

The Sunday following our Fun Fall Family Day, Anna and I had tickets to see the Richland Northeast (RNE) High School production of Disney’s Beauty and The Beast. Truth be told, I wasn’t looking forward to going. I was feeling really cruddy by this point, was doped up on Advil and Sudafed, Anna was being a pill (I think she had a mild version of what I had), and the thought of sitting through two hours of teenage vocal talent made me want to poke my eyeballs out.

However, Anna was excited to go – we’d been talking it up all week as a special treat of Mommy/Daughter time following my two week hiatus of being a mom while writing grants. And, we were going with a good friend and her daughter, so I figured I needed to suck it up and just go.

This was special in that we didn’t get to see just the musical performance, but had special tickets to attend the school’s fundraiser “Mrs. Potts’ Tea Party” following.

So we dressed in our Sunday finest and headed to the auditorium.

All I can say is WOW. The talent at RNE was amazing, and that is an understatement. The cast was incredible, the acting and vocals stupendous. And I’m not exaggerating. Seriously. Those kids have a future career in Broadway.

Anna was wide eyed the entire time, taking it all in, absorbing every second of it, and loving the entire show from opening strains of the overture to the final curtain call of the cast. She has this Disney Princess CD that she loves to listen to – a compilation of songs from the major Disney Princess movies, and as it turns out, musicals. Two of the songs in the musical are not from the film – but are on her CD. She turned to me with the biggest smile and brightest eyes when she recognized the songs from the CD.

And the tea party following the show was just lovely. The moms and sponsors of the show provided yummy treats – everything you’d think of at a tea party including petit fours, tiny sandwiches, sweets of all kinds, chocolates and fruits, and even chicken fingers.

The best part? The cast came through, in costume, to meet the little girls clamoring to take pictures and have autographs signed. Anna loved it. Every single second of it. And truth be told, I did as well. Runny nose and stopped up head and all.