Gammage Goers

Close Encounters of the Beastly Kind
By Bill

One of the greatest things about being a grandfather is sharing the things I love with my five grandsweeties. This includes my lifelong passion for the performing arts and the theater in particular.

I took my oldest granddaughter, Emma, to see “Beauty and the Beast” at the Gammage when she was just three. Despite some trepidation and a scramble onto her mommy’s lap when the lights went down, she’s been a theater-obsessed kid ever since. Now 11, Emma’s seen more than a dozen shows with and without me.

I eagerly await the moment when the grandkids are old enough see “A Winnie the Pooh Christmas Tail” at the Valley Youth Theater and then, finally, their first “big” show at Gammage. For Ava it was “The Lion King.” For Brody, “Chitty Chitty Bang Bang.”  Sophie’s introduction was “Mary Poppins.” And this year it was Mia’s turn and, as fate would have it, we were back where we started – in an enchanted castle in the middle of the forest. 

On Saturday, all four grandgirls, their mommies and I headed for Gammage to see a matinee performance of the Gammage’s wonderful production of “Beauty and the Beast.”

The show was great, as expected. But I must admit that I drew even more pleasure from what I saw in Row 18 than from what I saw on stage. Regular glances to my left and my right revealed four pairs of eyes wide open, transfixed with the vision of actors on stage, breathing life into beloved characters and a tale as old as time.

I’ll steal my daughter’s line: “It’s a shame we had to pay for the whole seat … I think the girls were only using the front three inches most of the show.” That’s a better review than two thumbs up any day.

Standing ovations, bravos, cheers and a few damp eyes (not mine, of course!) accompanied the curtain call. But our day wasn’t over. On our way out of the theater we stopped for a quick peek into the pit and watched the orchestra members pack up their instruments.  After all, it takes real musicians to make a real musical.

I posed the girls for a photo in front of the stage. “Smile and say Gaston,” I said, referring to the egotistical character who tries to capture Belle’s heart, but ends up merely stealing every scene he’s in.

An older couple approached us. “Did you like Gaston?” the man asked the girls, his face beaming. “He’s our grandson! Would you like to meet him?”

Programs and pens in hand, my troop followed the (other) happy grandpa’s directions to the stage door. There, the girls met Gaston (Nathaniel Hackmann of Scottsdale) and several other cast members including The Beast himself, who Mia admitted was not so scary sans makeup.

Even though they had another show to do in just a few hours, the actors could not have been more friendly, relaxed and approachable. They signed every autograph, posed for every photo and answered every question, providing a fairytale ending to a great afternoon.