If you have not yet attended a show at the Detroit Opera House; you are missing out on an incredible experience.
For Christmas every year we try to do at least one experience gift. While opening up presents and watching their faces get so excited is obviously on the top of our things we love as parents..We also love making new memories and taking our children to places they have not yet experienced as well.
This year was a trip to the Detroit Opera house where we got a chance to see The Broadway Show of Frozen.
Frozen has been a staple in our home for many years. In fact the year I met my Bonus Daughter she was in love with all of the songs and would sing them at the top of her lungs. That was 8 years ago now and since then we have added a few more children and they have also fallen in love with all of the Frozen movies and characters. As parents we also enjoy watching these movies so it is a win for the whole family.
We really wanted to have a full experience which included buying the children each their own outfit and going out to dinner before hand. It made everyone of them feel extra special.
Driving to Detroit is not my Husband's favorite thing to do, but the trip went pretty smooth. The only suggestion I have is to make sure that if there is a Lions or Tigers game to give yourself another 30-40 minutes for congestive driving at the very end. Pretty much 2 miles before the exit all the way to the parking garage. The parking garage is located on the block right next to The Detroit opera house. Making the distance to walk very close. We only had a short walk on the side walk and one crosswalk.
So here we are walking up to the doors..”Frozen” seen in the lights and the huge bus next to us, which I assume was for their stage crew to pack everything on for the next city.
None of the kids noticed…actually I think Evelyn might have said “frozen” but the other two didn’t notice.
The grand entrance opened and soon we were greeted with the ushers. We hurried trying to find what door our section was in, we did not have a great chance to take it the beauty of the building itself. That would come later.
We proceeded from one usher to the next and finally arrived at the doors. They had the doors shut because the play had literally just started. The doors reopened to two little girls on stage and they calling each other by name..”Anna…Elsa”. This is when my Husband said”ok tell them”.
And we both exclaimed ”you guys are here to see Frozen on stage”. Everyone screamed, smiled, laughed and then we were escorted. We were so lucky to snag front row seats. I could feel the beam of a proud Mom moment hit my face. I hope my children felt extra special in that moment. Finally made it all the way down to our seats. The first big opening scene with booming song began and I looked over at my family. Chris was smiling, Sophia and I were both crying and the littles were smiling from ear to ear.
Frozen was phenomenal. It has a great stage presence, great songs(additional songs to the movie), adult innuendos, and lots of comedy. Every performer was excellent in their craft.
There were “concession times” and time for a bathroom break, but yes the lines were long. My advice..send one adult to the line for concessions while the rest of the family uses the restroom. Also there is a family bathroom upstairs to the left of the ladies room(which is down a flight of stairs). The snacks are pricey but they do take a card. We got a lemonade(tart), bottled apple juice and water. We skipped on the bagged popcorn and candy but there was enough there to make anyone happy.
After the show we got to take in the actually Detroit Opera House itself. The ceilings, the view, and the overall esthetic was terrific and made you really appreciate how buildings/homes use to be built. The coves and trim along with the painted details is something rarely seen now.
Our seats were the best. We were located to where we felt like we were sitting on the actually stage. There is a net so you can look down in the pit but not fall in and it was great to see an orchestra instead of speakers blasting out music. A cool experience for the kids to see real people playing the parts with beautiful voices. As well as performers playing instruments; playing their favorite songs. Our 3 year old thought it was a movie until Elsa waived to her.
History on the Detroit Opera House.
Detroit Opera began as the educational outreach arm, Overture to Opera (OTO), of the Detroit Grand Opera Association, the organization responsible for the Metropolitan Opera's visits to Detroit.
In 1963, Michigan Opera Theatre's (MOT) Founder and General Director, David DiChiera took over the program, then in its third year. OTO first presented opera to the public as a collection of scenes and acts. It did not produce its first full-length production until 1970, with the staging of The Barber of Seville at the Detroit Institute of Arts. Overture to Opera officially became Michigan Opera Theatre in 1971 after it established a board of trustees, signifying its transformation into a professional opera company. 1977 marked the founding of MOT's Department of Community Programs by Karen VanderKloot DiChiera.[3] The company became known for it casting which often featured a blend of established artists as well as young-up-and-coming American opera singers from a diversity of backgrounds, a tradition that continues to this day.
The company was among the first to stage Gershwin's opera Porgy and Bess in 1975 as well as Scott Joplin's opera Treemonisha in 1983.
In 2005 the company staged the world premiere of Richard Danielpour's Margaret Garner, based on Toni Morrison's novel Beloved. MOT also established an international reputation for the staging of rarely performed operas such as the North American premiere of Armenian composer, Armen Tigranian's, Anoush in 1981,[4] Polish composer, Karol Szymanowski's King Roger in 1991, and the American premiere of Stanisław Moniuszko's The Haunted Castle in 1982. In 1989 the decision was made to purchase MOT's current home, the Detroit Opera House[5] Originally called the Capital Theatre, the building, designed by C. Howard Crane, was in need of extensive restoration. The company eventually gained enough money to purchase the entire block encompassing the neighboring Roberts Fur building, which the company demolished in 1993 to make way for the 75,000-square-foot (7,000 m2) stage house. The monumental task which became known as "The Detroit Opera House Project" took approximately 7 years to complete and was supported by local individuals, corporations, foundations and unions. Luciano Pavarotti was also a major contributor to the campaign, bringing the attention of the public to the project at large by promising to sing at the opening of the new opera house, donating large amounts of money to the cause, and by making various appearances around Detroit in performances designed to raise money for the project.[6]
In April 1996, MOT celebrated the opening of its new home with a Gala event which received international coverage. Among the guests at the Gala were opera stars Joan Sutherland, Luciano Pavarotti, Irina Mishura, Helen Donath, Marcello Giordani, Gregg Baker, Alessandra Marc, and Elizabeth Parcells, conductor Steven Mercurio, and actor Roddy McDowall.[7] The evening also featured a Fanfare for the Detroit Opera House by American composer William Bolcom which had been especially commissioned for the Gala. In 1996 MOT also added a permanent dance season to its repertoire with performances by the American Ballet Theatre and the Cleveland San Jose Ballet.
On February 28, 2022, Michigan Opera Theatre changed its name to Detroit Opera.[8]
(cited from wikipedia)
The next day I was in the kitchen with our teenager… I expressed to her that we chose that show because all 3 of them love frozen and I could remember this sweet little 8 year old twirling and singing her heart out. She said “I know that's why I was crying when it started; I remember”.
This is a moment we all will never forget. Make new memories and as always let your kids be kids. Try taking your teenager to something they loved as a child and let them feel real joy.
Will you be making a trip to The Detroit Opera House..what will you see? Wilson Wonders
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