This post presented in partnership with Broadway Across Canada
I’ve been going to the theatre since I was a kid. I was that loser interesting kid who sang show tunes around the house. Now that I have a daughter of my own, I think it’s important to expose your kids to different cultural experiences. They don’t have to be highbrow, but how will your children ever know if they like classical music, ballet or the theatre if they’ve never seen it?
In the fall, I did an impulse purchase and bought last minute tickets to see Mamma Mia. I was humming and hawing about making the purchase right before Christmas, but in the end it was so worth it. I mean, you can blow $200 at Costco without blinking an eye, and you’d never remember eating that monster bag of party mix. To purposefully go out to the theatre, to dress up and be entertained by an art form that you don’t experience on a regular basis is something special. It marks times. Taking the time to appreciate art makes life seem fuller and richer.
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STOMP tour
After the success of Mamma Mia (my tween loved it!), I started looking into other shows I thought my daughter would enjoy. And then I found it – STOMP. Stomp is on tour with Broadway Across Canada and is coming to Calgary. This international percussion sensation is one of those shows everybody enjoys. You don’t have to be a fan of dance or music or drama. It’s a toe tapping good time, where everything but conventional percussion instruments are used to make music.
My daughter is into tap and loves that rat a tat tat noise. I know she’ll love this journey through sound via dance and drum, but I bet kids as young as kindergarteners would, too. For sure, they’ll never look at supermarket carts or trash cans the same way again. In the show, all these everyday items take on new life as musical instruments in the hands of those body percussionists.
I was most jazzed to discover STOMP won an Olivier Award for Best Choreography (that’s like London’s version of the Tony Awards). My big question is: Are there any tap dancers in the show? I’m thinking no, but you never know.
STOMP tickets
The performance schedule for STOMP in Calgary at the Southern Alberta Jubilee Auditorium is Tuesday January 17 at 7:30 p.m., Wednesday January 18 at 7:30 p.m., and Thursday, January 19 at 7:30 p.m.
Tickets are available by calling Ticketmaster 1-855-985-5000 or visiting ticketmaster.ca.
Jubilee Auditorium seating
As a former dancer and Jubilee veteran, I can tell you when it comes to Jubilee Auditorium seating, the first few rows aren’t ideal. You end up staring at the performer’s feet. Try to get at least 10 rows back. Even up to 20 rows back is great. Because I have a kid, I always try to get an aisle seat and Right of Centre is what I aim for. That’s because I park at the outdoor ACAD parking lot. If you want to get out of there in a hurry, park at ACAD and sit on this side. It’s a straight shot. Heads up: parking is $7 cash.
Have you ever been to STOMP? What are your favourite broadway shows?
Broadway Across Canada neither edited nor reviewed this post before publication.
