What a great question - that got me thinking about what a great post it would make.
Empty Theatre (almost) by Jaako, on Flickr
It had to be in the very late 30's or early 40's when my girlfriend and I decided it was time to go to Boston to see a play. Neither of us ever had a reason to go to the big city so this was a very big deal. We had to take a bus and a train which took us right into the heart of the city.
The play was "Life With Father."
Seeing a play was so much better then watching a movie, it was a" LIVE Performance" and we were hooked!!
After that experience we went to as many plays that we could afford. For the longest time our seats were in the second balcony but we got there! How I hated climbing those stairs - even then!
In the 50's I got to see "The King and I" staring Yul Brynner and Gertrude Lawrence. By this time I could afford a better seat. Yay!
What I remember vividly is the scene where the King and the teacher do the number "Shall We Dance." The two swung all over the stage and at one point the teacher's gown went over the head of one of the musicians in the orchestra pit! What a show stopper that was. (I'm sure that happened at every performance.)
Another play that I saw in the early 50's was "Mexican Hayride."
It never made a hit on Broadway but I enjoyed it very much. The scene that stands out in my mind took place in a nightclub were the set was all in shades of brown and blue.
That spring I bought myself an outfit in those colors!
In the 60's my parents and I went to see "Fiddler on the Roof." Orchestra seats!!
I wish I had the playbill so I could tell you who we saw in it but I can say this, they were all wonderful.
To this day, I never tire of hearing the songs from "Fiddler."
In the 80's we treated my sister-in-law on the occasion of her birthday, "La Cage aux Folles" and orchestra seats!!
Wonderful songs and wonderful costumes. I remember reading an article about how heavy those costumes were - they weighed a ton but were gorgeous.
And that smash number, "The Best of Times."
What is your earliest memory of the theatre?