Coast 2 Coast Mom

Fancy Nancy the Musical in NYC

Fancy Nancy the Musical premiered at the McGinn/Cazale Theatre on the Upper West Side of NYC this weekend, opening the Vital Theatre Company's 2012-2013 season of family programming. I was delighted to have been invited to attend the purple carpet press opening and see the show for myself!

I even borrowed a fancy li'l friend, Little C, to join me for the experience. . .

Elmo Finds His Green Thumb

Yesterday we went to Madison Square Garden to see  Sesame Street Live: Elmo's Green Thumb . It was a delightful show, featuring colorful human-sized versions of your favorite Sesame Street characters (with the exception of Big Bird, who was his normal "big" size). The kiddo was mesmerized from the time the curtain went up on Elmo's show, and he got particularly excited when Count Von Count ("The Count" as we call him) walked on stage. The Count is currently the kiddo's favorite character...because, you know...he's a vampire.

The story follows Elmo as he figures out what to do with his sunflower Sunny, now that it has outgrown its pot. Accompanied by his friends, Elmo searches for a place to plant Sunny in Big Bird's garden. But instead of waiting for Sunny to grow, they decide to speed up the process a bit, with Abby Cadabby leading the charge and casting a spell on Sunny.

Still Gleeful After Seeing Glee Live Tour

c2cDad and I celebrated my birthday by attending the Friday night showing of the sold-out Glee Tour 2010 at Radio City Music Hall. Yay! Glee Live was a high-energy show and the atmosphere around our seats in the orchestra section was electrifying. Seriously! Everyone stood for nearly the entire show . . . I think we sat for part of one slow song. We were surprised - though not shocked - to see so many tween-age girls there with their moms.  Admittedly, we seriously aged-up our section of the orchestra level. ;-)

I think that attending the concert with so many tween-age girls in the audience screaming at the sight of a different character, or a new song, added to the excitement of the entire crowd. It would not have been the concert experience if it was a crowd of adults. There were several moments when some of the cast appeared amused because of the roar of the crowd - like when "Fin" laughed at the beginning of their Bon Jovi number. I'm not sure if the rest of their tour stops reacted with such enthusiasm for that song, or if it was the result of being such an NJ/NYC area group and song. There was a bit near the end when "Sue," Jane Lynch and "Will," Matthew Morrison appeared live on stage and they cut their bit short because the crowd was literally cheering so loudly that you couldn't hear what they were saying anyway. It was funny. I wonder if any of the cast ever envisioned themselves performing to a sold-out crowd at Radio City.

Family Night at 101 Dalmatians Musical

Friday night I was successful in getting c2cDad out of work early to join Li'l Boo and me at Madison Square Garden Theater for 101 Dalmatians the Musical. Li'l Boo was so excited to have him with us! The show didn't begin until 7 p.m., but we were treated to a private meet-and-greet beforehand with DX and Rascal, two of the real dog stars in the show. DX is a show dog, and Rascal came from Second Chances Dalmatian Rescus in Ohio - as well as many of the other dogs. All 15 of the dogs in the cast were noted in the program as in need of loving homes upon retirement from acting.

Taking in Sesame Street Live: Elmo Grows Up Now at MSG

This morning we were lucky to attend a Sesame Street meet-n-greet and take in the Sesame Street Live: Elmo Grows Up  show at Madison Square Garden. Li'l Boo was beyond the moon to see the "real live" Elmo and Cookie Monster before the show began!

The lively show followed the usual children's show structure - about a 45 minute show, a 15 minute intermission, then a final 30 minute wrap-up and finale. It was cute, energetic and even included a set from Elmo's World (you may feel inclined to sing along; la a la la lala la la Elmo's World).

Check Out Headphonies for Haiti: A Donation with Each Purchase

Now that holiday gift-giving is behind us, many of us are looking for ways to customize their techno gifts (such as iPhones, Droids, gaming devices and the like) with personalized cases, coverings or other accessories. One speaker accessory that I saw and liked the looks of at CES was the Mobi headphonie.

I haven't tried them out myself yet (soon), so this isn't a review or endorsement, but I just learned about the headphonies for Haiti fundraising campaign and this DOES endear them to me. If I'm going to purchase something, I like that the company is supporting a cause that I care about.  Announced earlier today, Mobi will donate $1 from the purchase of each headphonie sold on www.headphonies.com from January 18th - February 28th, 2010 to the American Red Cross International Response Fund.

These Headphonies won an Innovations Award from the Consumer Electronics Association (CEA) at CES last week and drew quite a crowd at their booth. (Yeah, these small speakers were a BIG deal.)