Over the weekend, I took my five-year-old son to the children’s theater performance at Hale Theatre in Gilbert, AZ today. The play was (loosely) based on Hans Christian Andersen’s “The Little Mermaid”. This was my son’s first exposure to the arts, and it was a delightful experience. We attended with friends and their three-year-old daughter. I would recommend the children’s performances for children aged three and up.
The children’s theater performances are on Saturday mornings at 11:00am. Tickets can be purchased online for $13 per adult and $11 per child (plus a handling fee). The theater is small and the stage is on the ground floor. All of the seats are excellent, even for small children, although I wouldn’t go much above the 5th row for a child. The children are able to walk on the stage before the performance and during intermission to experience the lights and setting. The play lasted 90 minutes with a 10 minute intermission. Snacks are available for purchase.
The musical performance was simple, colorful and engaging. The audience members are encouraged to participate several times during the performance. There is plenty of adult humor, and I enjoyed watching it with my son. Children who are celebrating birthdays are invited to come down to the stage during the first scene to be sung to and to receive a lollipop. After the performance, the actors join the audience members in the lobby for photos and autographs. My son was timid, but other children were thrilled to have their photo taken with the mermaids and the sea witch!
After the play, we had lunch at Liberty Market, which was directly across the street from the theater. It was delicious and easy!
Upcoming performances at the Hale Theatre for children include “Cinderella”, “Pinocchio” and “Beauty and the Beast”. The theater also offers adult theater performances and Christmas productions of “A Christmas Carol.”
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Kaarin is a Stay-at-Home-Mom of two children, ages five and two. After 13 years as a professional Human Resources consultant for a large consulting firm in San Francisco, Kaarin “retired” to work for the two most important clients of her career, her son and daughter. Currently living in Old Town Scottsdale, she has a passion for living in community, helping new moms, and cooking from scratch.
