I am a huge fan of musical theater.  I blame my mother, since she practically raised me on Rogers and Hammerstein.  I’m always vulnerable to catchy tunes, but particularly so at Christmastime.

I’ve never been all that drawn to the Nutcracker or a Christmas Carol.  The first is too wordless, the second too somber.  While living in England, I discovered Pantomime (traditional holiday musical theater that relies heavily on slapstick, gender-bending casting, and audience participation).  How I miss it!

Yesterday my kids and I were invited to preview a matinee performance of “Santastic”, a family-oriented musical revue at The Retro Dome in San Jose, California.  We always like to do something silly this time of year, so we accepted.

This show checked all our boxes.  Nutty audience participation?  Check.  Santa dressed in Mexican garb singing “Feliz Navidad”?  Check.  Snow inside?  Check.  Beach balls that we could bat around?  Check?

Besides all the usual goodies, the concession stand was stocked with gingerbread men, hot chocolate, and pumpkin pie in deference to the season.  The kids were feeling extremely jolly after such a liberal dose of sugar—they gave the food four thumbs up.

The theater (formerly a gloomy downmarket movie theater) recently opened under new managment, having had a head-to-toe renovation with a decidedly retro flavor.  The owners plan to offer original productions, Broadway hits, music, comedy, and of course children’s theater on one side of the theater and classic movies on the other (Jaws on the big screen anyone?  How about The Godfather?).

I’m always blown away by the singing, dancing, and acting talent in local theater, and this show was no exception.  The costumes alone were worth the price of admission.

Speaking of which, we were also pleasantly surprised by the prices ($36 adult, $24 kids).  Since we are veterans of musical theater who like to sit close to the stage, we’re no strangers to outings that cost up to $450 for the four of us.  Families who want to test drive musical theater without taking out a second mortgage would do well to start here.

December 6th, 2009 | by Jamie Pearson 3 comments