It's been frustrating to see businesses open, travel and live sports resume, all while Broadway and live theatre remain dark. I'm thrilled to finally see a light at the end of the tunnel with recent announcements of Broadway's September reopening, and now locally, DC's National Theatre has announced it's upcoming season beginning this December - and it's a good one! It includes the returning favorite, RENT, and my personal favorite, Come From Away! Here's the full season:

 

When I took a break from the blog in March, I had no idea I'd still have little of my usual content to share by the end of the year. I held onto some optimism when I heard Broadway would open by summer, by Labor Day, then eventually, by...sometime next year. My season tickets for touring productions all hang in limbo and the new seasons that local theatres announced with certainty have become wishful thinking.

The good, the bad, and the crazy have all happened this year. On occasion, I've had to ask myself "did that really happen this year?" Some things feel like a lifetime ago.

While not the theatre-packed summary of years past, here's my breakdown of the year:

I marked the first day of the year the best way I knew how: in the audience! I enjoyed a production of Murder on the Orient Express at Baltimore's Everyman Theatre. Sean even joined me! 

To keep up the theatre momentum I saw one of my top least favorite shows on tour: Cats. I'm grateful now as it's one of only six live shows I attended this year.

My friend Amy and I were selected for "Pitch a Friend," an event where I told a room full of strangers via PowerPoint why they should date Amy. While fun in theory, the attendees were 99% female which did not work out in her favor.

I fit in three shows: Wicked on tour in Baltimore, The King's Speech on tour in Washington, DC, and Miss You Like Hell at Olney Theatre. It was exciting to have both classic favorites and new-to-me stories.

We celebrated a neighbor's birthday at his house with more than a dozen people present. Can you believe it!?

I went to lunch with some of my favorite work ladies where we discussed the virus and how we thought it would come and go quickly enough. We even scheduled our next lunch for May. Whoops!

I hoped and hoped that the virus would hold off long enough for me to see the two touring shows of the season I'd been most looking forward to: The Band's Visit and The Last Ship. I fought to resist the temptation of going to New York to see shows when prices plummeted. Thankfully, the authorities saved me from myself and things shut down quickly. Ultimately, the last show I saw was Bandstand in Washington, DC on March 3.

I was thrilled to be working from home, even if only for two weeks (ha!). I avoided hoarding toilet paper. I had enough for two weeks and surely it would be back in stock by then. Whoops!

As it became clear that we would be at home longer than two weeks, I took advantage of instacart, online jackbox game nights, and outdoor training via C25K for the relay I was supposed to run with work in October. 

How many playbills do I have in my collection? Enough for two months of selfies on Instagram, as it turns out. I posted a show a day until the first restrictions were lifted...in Mid-May.

After a brief furlough, Sean was officially back at work.

DoubleTree released their famous cookie recipe and I baked it...a lot. I justified it by sharing the wealth and dropping off wrapped cookies in my neighbors' mailboxes. 

As the temperatures warmed up, we cautiously resumed some outdoor social activities including our traditional stoop nights (we formed a pod with some neighbors) and bringing lunch to my mom to enjoy al fresco.

Our living room received a quarantine makeover: new couch, rug, and a fresh coat of paint!

We had planned for a vacation to celebrate our 10th wedding anniversary. but it clearly wasn't a good time. Instead, we took some photos to *remember* the occasion and enjoyed a steak dinner at home.

As if the year wasn't wild enough, things really started to shake up in July.

We took a short road trip to Connecticut to celebrate Sean's birthday. We were able to stay outside and  enjoy the beautiful scenery, but were in a car accident on our way home...in New Jersey. Sean's car was totaled and we both had pain that we went to a chiropractor for for several weeks. We are grateful it wasn't worse, and for friends who didn't hesitate to pick us up when our insurance left us stranded.

Our company announced layoffs were coming and I was surprised to learn I was the only person on my immediate team not affected. It was another sad stressor to add to the year, and the moment that confirmed it was time to walk away from what I had once considered my dream job. I opted to pack up my office on their last day to say goodbye.

Thank you, Disney+ for giving us permanent access to Hamilton! 

Taking advantage of still being at home and not knowing if things would shut back down, I went for it: the COVID chop.

We snuck in a drive to Pittsburgh before I started my new job. It was easy to stay outside/socially distant, and it was nice to see some bucket list items on the drive: Fallingwater and the Flight 93 memorial.

One of my 2020 "resolutions" was to attend another wedding in our friend group. One neighbor jumped at the chance to seal the deal at the courthouse while things were still open. Definitely not what I had in mind back in January, but congrats to the new happy family!

I celebrated turning 35 with cocktails and an outdoor viewing of Mulan on Disney+.

We visited my mom one last time while it was still nice enough to gather outside.'

My niece was born! I can't wait until it's safe to meet her in person.

We enjoyed our last few "pod" gatherings outdoors: a friend's birthday. then Halloween. Much different from the celebrations earlier in the year.

I accidentally won a gift card to a local tattoo shop. A tattoo was always on my "one day" list, and it finally happened! Inspired by my favorite show, Come From Away!

With cases rapidly increasing, we halted further in-person social activities and went back to virtual game and Netflix nights. Lots of time at home, including Thanksgiving.

Thank you Netflix, for that speedy adaptation of The Prom!

People are starting to get vaccinated. There is light at the end of the tunnel!

We dropped off birthday and Christmas gifts for my family ahead of time and again opted to stay home to celebrate.

New Year's Eve won't look anything like 2019, but New Year's Day will still commence with a musical: Ratatouille, the TikTok Musical, online!

One of my favorite things about quarantine has been hearing all the stories of shelters being emptied for the first time as people have the availability to bring new pets into their homes. Staying at home is much nicer when I have Anise and McHenry at home...I think they return the sentiment!

As it gets colder and darker outside, I'm excited for this weekend's launch of The Pack on Prime Video. Hosted by gold medalist Lindsey Vonn and her canine co-host Lucy, the series features twelve teams of dogs and their humans on an epic adventure across multiple continents. The Amazon Original series The Pack will premiere on November 20th in more than 240 countries and territories. 

The Pack is being described as a celebration of the unrivaled bond between dogs and their human

companions. I can certainly relate!

I'm excited to stay warm inside and enjoy the cutness on my screen, but for people in the DMV who need to (safely) get out, there are deals all over the area (and online!) celebrating PACKED WEEKEND:

But let's be real. Theatres are shut down right now so I can't give away theatre tickets or see a new show and share my thoughts with all of you. And do you really want to see a Stitch Fix unboxing right now (I don't know, do you?)?

What I'm saying is, the blog will be quiet for awhile while we all adjust to new lifestyles for the time being.

But, that doesn't mean I'm going away! 

If you're not connected with me on social, please do so! I'm trying to keep things fun and normal-ish with only a sly nod to the virus. I hope we can engage there for the time being and I look forward to bringing you new content here in the better days ahead.

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What: Bandstand, the touring Broadway musical

When: March 2020

Where: National Theatre, Washington DC

Why: Cause we deserve it ;)

Thoughts:
Bandstand caught my eye when it was on Broadway in 2017, but sadly had a short run and closed before I was able to get to NYC to see it. Fathom Events screened the show in select movie theatres in 2018. I was able to satisfy my curiosity, but screenings can never quite capture the energy of seeing a live production. I'm so glad the production is now touring and was close enough for me to see it live!

I have a few go-to theatre companions, but for Bandstand, I brought along my military-loving, musical-hating husband because I was curious how he would feel about this kind of show. The story discusses the unique issues our troops and their loved ones face, but it's also the story of forming a band to win a competition. The two sides of the story provide both upbeat and sobering moments.



At the end of Act I, I asked Sean what his thoughts were and all he had to say was "the music is uninspiring." He wasn't feeling it. I didn't even have the chance to ask him how he felt after the finale; he immediately spoke up and told me how much better it was!

His assessment is pretty fair. Bandstand is a sneaky show, sprinkling in moments of truth throughout. It makes things feel slow at times, but when they finally come and punch the audience with the truth bomb just before the finale...let's just say I think the applause after that number went on longer than the applause for curtain call! It's the piece that brings all the moments of the show together, but you have to wait for it. I promise, it's worth the wait (also, there are a few other standout numbers throughout the show IMO).

Washington, DC is the perfect city to see a show like Bandstand. The show is in town only until Sunday, but I love how show and city have embraced each other. The National Theatre has offered discounted tickets for veterans, many of whom I saw at opening night, and the actors took a moment after curtain call to thank all military and their families in the audience. It's not an experience to be missed; grab your tickets while Bandstand is still in town!