ENDED Giveaway: If You Give A Mouse A Cookie at Detroit's City Theatre

I've made it no secret that I am a huge theater fan, and my kids have been subjected to this love of mine from a young age. They've seen all kinds of plays, musicals and non, but children's plays are almost always a good safe bet for an hour or two of captivating entertainment. A play based on a familiar book is even better.

Adapted from the best selling children's book of the same name, by Laura Joffe Numeroff, If You Give A Mouse A Cookie is hitting the stage at Detroit's City Theatre this month, on August 23, 24, and 25.

This book is one in a series, including other classics If You Take A Mouse to School and If You Give A Pig A Pancake (both also adapted for the stage). They are humorous accounts of a long trail of events that result from doing the one thing stated in the title.


Tickets for If You Give A Mouse A Cookie are available now, selling for $18 each or $60 for a family four pack. To purchase tickets:

• Online at OlympiaEntertainment.com
• At the Fox Theatre and Joe Louis Arena box offices, as well as Hockeytown Authentics in Troy - without service fees
• At all Ticketmaster locations and Ticketmaster.com
• Charge by phone: (800) 745-3000
• For group discounts (party of 10 or more), call (313) 471-3099

The performance schedule is as follows:

• Friday, August 23: 11:00 a.m., 3:00 p.m., 6:30 p.m.
• Saturday, August 24: 11:00 a.m., 3:00 p.m.
• Sunday, August 25: 2:00 p.m.

In collaboration with Olympia Entertainment, MichiGal is giving away 4 tickets to the Saturday, August 24, 11 a.m. performance of If You Give A Mouse A Cookie at Detroit's City Theatre!

City Theatre, an intimate 430-seat venue, is located inside Hockeytown Cafe, right next to the Fox Theatre on Woodward Ave.

Want to win? Use the Rafflecopter form below! Hope to see you there!

I have been provided with complimentary tickets for my family. Please note that this giveaway is local to Detroit, Michigan. Please only enter if you are able to attend this performance at the City Theatre in Detroit! The date and time of the tickets cannot be changed. Winner's tickets will be available at will-call on the day of the performance.



a Rafflecopter giveaway

Take the Kids to the Theater: La Cage Aux Folles

The Fisher Building - Detroit

Bethany was three years old when she saw her first play. It was Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dream Coat. This may seem an odd choice for a child that age, but my mother-in-law had seen it, loved it, and thought Bethany would like the music. My first born was always grown up for her age, and it did not surprise me in the least that she quietly sat through that entire play. Only once did she elicit some giggles from fellow theater patrons in our immediate vicinity - when she loudly asked, "why that guy naked?" during a scene when Joseph is sparsely clad. Since that first play, she has seen many others, and so have the other kids. Connor was actually only two when he saw his first play, Peter Pan. Annie, Mary Poppins, The Lion King, Beauty and the Beast, Grease, Shrek...these (and more) are others that have followed in subsequent years for one or all of my children. This year Bethany hopes to see Les Miserables (my fave) for the first time when it comes to Detroit.

I am blessed to have a mother-in-law who is a fan of the theater and very generous with sharing her season tickets, or buying extra tickets when the show is one that might be of interest to her grandchildren. My husband is a musician and I am a writer (Does blogging count? For my purposes, I am going to say yes!), so you might say we are a family that appreciates the arts. I love sharing these sorts of things with my kids. I hope that in exposing them to a wide range of experiences, we are all working together to foster a lifelong love of theater, music, books, and art in each of them.

When the opportunity was presented to me recently to take Bethany to see the theatrical production of La Cage Aux Folles, at first I hesitated. I had never seen the movie (The Birdcage), starring Robin Williams, and my impression was that it was not appropriate for kids. But I decided to do a little internet research. And what I found was that over and over again, the show was recommended as family friendly and fine for children of a certain age (approximately 10 and up). I tend to lean toward the side of liberal when it comes to what I consider an art form, so Chris and I discussed it for all of two minutes and decided it would be fine to take Bethany to see this play.

There is a good chance you are well acquainted with the story, and I'm not here to offer any spoilers. But I will say that La Cage Aux Folles is centered around a gay couple, and that it focuses quite strongly on cross dressing. These things alone don't bother me, and after a quick chat with Bethany to make sure she understood that's what it was about and that she was fine with it, the decision was made. We got ready and hit downtown Detroit, the Fisher Building to be exact, since the play was being performed at the Fisher Theater.

Parking is easy at the Fisher Building. If you want to shell out a whopping $15, you can valet for a super easy entrance. But if you don't mind a short walk (or maybe you're "frugal" like me), ticket holders can enjoy free parking in the attached parking structure. An enclosed walkway leads directly from the parking garage to the second floor of the Fisher Building. You do have to push the little button by the door to get buzzed into the walkway (and again to get buzzed into the garage when you're headed back to your vehicle), and then when you enter the Fisher Building just head downstairs. Alternately, you can ride the garage elevator to the bottom and enter the Fisher Building on the ground level.

This art deco building, designed by Albert Kahn, is a beautiful piece of art. Everywhere you look, some amazing detail will catch your eye. Mosaics and marble and interesting touches are everywhere. The building is home to a few shops and cafes, so if you arrive early you can peek into a boutique or have a coffee. Or just walk around marveling at the way they used to make things, and how spectacular it would be if that were still the case today. The lay of the land is pretty straight forward, and there is little chance of getting lost. Just remember what door you came in so you don't get confused when the show is over! (Wait, that only happens to me??)

Once we got in the theater proper, the first thing we did was fortify ourselves with junk food for the show (Sour Patch Kids for the little lady, cinnamon almonds for me...should I mention that we both had a stomach ache by the end of the play?). Snacks are available for a premium at a counter in the theater lobby. I believe I paid $8.50 for our two items. You can enjoy your munchies during the show.

Inside the theater is just as gorgeous as the rest of the Fisher Building. I usually see plays with my mother-in-law's season tickets, which she has had for many years, and they are great main floor seats. But I've sat in several other areas and never had a complaint. Sometimes when she brings the kids, she requests upper level seats so they have a better view of the stage.

Now, onto the play. Like I said, I don't want to give away much in case you haven't seen it yet. George Hamilton played one of the main characters, and he was really good. In fact, the cast was great as a whole. Based on the reviews I read, it was a bit racier than I had hoped it would be. By that I mean there were a great many sexual innuendos. I think more than a few went right over Bethany's head, but I'm sure she caught the gist of some. I expected a few sexual references, but they were more prevalent that I had expected. There were a few swearing incidents (one f-bomb). The good news: no sex, no nudity, nothing really offensive (unless you find homosexuality offensive in and of itself, in which case this might not be the play for you), and the profanity was at a minimum. There is one kissing scene between the two main characters - both men. A main setting in La Cage aux Folles is the nightclub, which showcases cross-dressing men performing caberet numbers. In some scenes they're wearing garters, or other apparel that may be construed as inappropriate by some. It is a musical, and so there is no shortage of singing and dancing.

At the heart of La Cage aux Folles is a message about the importance of family, staying true to the ones you love, and not compromising your integrity, even when it might seem necessary for a worthwhile cause. It's a good, heart-warming story, and that outshines the questionable moments. I would recommend this play for ages middle school and up, but you know your kids best. If your child is unaccustomed to seeing gay people openly in relationships, and you want to avoid giving him or her a shock to the system, discuss it beforehand. This play could actually serve as a segue way to an open discussion with your child about acceptance of different ways of life, gay rights, and gay marriage.

If you don't take your kids to the theater because you don't think they would get through a play or that they would find it boring, you might be underestimating them! My kids love going to the theater, and I don't think I've ever had a single problem with one of them during a show, even as young as two. Seeing live actors up on the stage is pretty impressive and tends to captivate them, especially when you throw in some singing, dancing, and cool visual effects. Plus it's just fun to go downtown for an evening out!

Do you enjoy theater? What is your favorite play?

My gorgeous girl at La Cage aux Folles, Fisher Theater, Detroit

Weekends are No Substitute for Summer (but I still love them)

When school started last month, I had big plans for weekends. It's hard for me to give up the freedom of summer, so I have to start the year off with the thought in my mind that it will still be possible for us to do fun things. And yeah, it is still possible, but  not quite as simple and streamlined as I had envisioned. Go figure.

The biggest obstacle seems to be that this is apparently a bad time of year for my kids health-wise (allergies, asthma, coughs). We have been to the doctor a ridiculous number of times in the past month. Tomorrow Mattie has one last (I hope) follow-up appointment, and then I HOPE we are in the clear for awhile. Although I don't know, we can't quite seem to get Lucy's asthma under control. And Connor is still coughing. But for all that, no one has missed a day of school yet. (knocking on wood like a maniac)

Now Connor has started up an activity which has Friday night meetings. Lucy was interested in taking a class or two on Saturday mornings, but I've decided to table that for the time being considering that she is ultra run down with all her recent asthma flare-ups. So I guess at least our Saturdays and Sundays are in the clear for now, until basketball games start up in a couple months.

This isn't to say I'm complaining. Our weekends haven't been bad (if unmemorable...). But there were so many things I never got to during the summer, that I thought just maybe I could use fall weekends to squeeze some of that stuff in yet. Well, it's not looking too good for that, but I am still hoping to get in at least one weekend getaway this month, while we still can. It's in the works!

As it turns out, this weekend ended up being pretty good. Friday night I worked, as in drove someplace that was not my house and worked for a paycheck. It was a one-time gig that was a lot of fun and will hopefully turn into more. It's been awhile since I left the house to go to work, so that was pretty momentous for me. All the kids stayed the night at my mother-in-law's, so I even got to come home to a quiet house. I couldn't keep my eyes open when I got home and ended up crashing really early (note: before midnight is really early for me). I set my alarm, just in case, never thinking I would actually sleep more than six or seven hours. But after several nights of four hours of sleep, I was more tired than I thought. I wound up sleeping for an astonishing 10 hours! I could use a few more of those.

Saturday morning, Chris had a job to do, so I tagged along with him so he'd have some company for the drive. I brought my Kindle and read in the car while he worked, then we went out to lunch together, while the kids were at the movie theater with their Meema (Chris's mom). Shortly after they came home, Chris's mom called to say she had play tickets that she couldn't use for that night. Her husband was working late, and she was coming down with a cold and just didn't feel up to it. Chris was working (again) and then had plans to go see his friend's band, so my mother-in-law offered to come over and babysit so I could go to the play with Bethany. This was, remember, after she had kept them all overnight Friday night, taken them all to the movies Saturday afternoon, and had them with her until after 3 p.m. And she didn't feel well either. That is the kind of mother-in-law I have.

One-on-one opportunities like this don't come up very often, so I was really happy to have the time with Bethany. Plus I love the theater and would go to every show that comes to Detroit if I could.

Let me real quick mention what I think is a long-lasting effect of my summer road trip. I use to be much more fearful and nervous of driving certain places. Downtown Detroit, especially at night, would be one of them. Or anyplace I'm not that familiar with. Now I've been to this particular theater many, many times, and I'm sure I've driven there too, if only a few times. But in the past I would have been really nerved up about driving there, especially without another adult present to help navigate. This time, I could feel myself starting to fall back into that pattern, and I quickly reminded myself that I successfully made it across the country and back with nary a mishap. I could totally make it 20 minutes to downtown and be absolutely fine. And of course I was. I didn't even have a GPS with me. Okay, I lie. I did use the navigation on my phone to find my way back to the freeway on the way home. But it's okay to be resourceful! And in my defense, any Detroiter will tell you that signs are pretty sparse and vague downtown. I've said it before and I'll say it again: I think more people would willingly spend time downtown if there were more signs! And signs like "Cultural Center" or "New Center" barely count, because who the heck knows what that means, especially out-of-towners?!

Alright, I digress. But my point is simply that I'm glad our road trip led me to a place where I'm more comfortable driving, and even not knowing exactly where I'm going.

And my other point is that even though our back-to-school weekends haven't exactly been all I've dreamed of and more, they have been fun and relaxing...and I'm grateful for every one of them! If things go according to plan, the next couple weekends should be full of fun and adventure.

If you're wondering about the play Bethany and I went to, look for another blog post very soon!

Thank You For The Music

Mamma Mia, Mamma Mia, Mamma Mia! I just returned from the theater. I love Mamma Mia. I love the music, I love the story. I love that that the music fits the story perfectly, like a well engineered puzzle. I always tear up at the beginning when Sophie is putting the invitations in the mailbox and singing about her dream, as I am reminded of the first 30 years of my life when I had that very same dream. Actually, I tear up repeatedly throughout the show...as Donna is reunited with old friends, as the friends reminisce about old times, as Sophie meets her three prospective fathers, as Donna prepares for her only daughter's wedding day and I think of the days that will come when it will be time for Chris and I to face each of our children beginning their own adult lives. I'm pretty sure the smile never left my face.

Stories feed the human spirit. Whether your food of choice is music, books, theater, television, movies, or all of the above, chances are not many days go by that you don't feed yourself with some sort of story. Maybe you like to get your stories directly from the source, from talking to other people, or writing your own. Whatever your chosen form, if you don't feed your spirit with stories, maybe you feel like something is missing...a connection to the greater picture...a connection to the world around and beyond you.

If you haven't yet had the chance to see the stage production of Mamma Mia, you should at least watch the movie. The movie is beautiful, with it's lovely Greek backdrop. I love it too - maybe not quite as much as the play because there is something sort of magical about plays, but it's definitely one of my favorite movies. And if you just can't get enough ABBA, another great movie is Muriel's Wedding, starring Toni Collette. Great is a ridiculously weak adjective, but anyway, it's a movie I love and Toni Collette is genius in it. Even if you fall a little short of loving ABBA, you should definitely still watch this Australian classic. It's not a musical, so ABBA doesn't exactly infiltrate every scene like it does in Mamma Mia.


It's just another snowy (April) day in Michigan. There is no longer any room for surprise in regards to weather around here. I painted my toe nails last week for goodness sake! And last night we had to turn our furnace back on. However, there is something sweet and transient about April snow...but if I have to get the snow shovel out of the garage, I might have a minor breakdown.

Tell us, wise Yoda, is the Dark Side infiltrating the weather system?

See those trees there, in the middle of our cul de sac? The kids like to play in the middle of them, it's like a little hideout. A few days ago, a door appeared, propped up between the trees. Then this morning, as I was driving the kids to school, we noticed a thin mattress poking out from under some branches.  I'm going to ask Chris to investigate later, and make sure there isn't a stash of clothing and non-perishables in there too. I don't know where this stuff is coming from, but I hope no one plans on doing some long term camping out in our trees. Unless it's Ewoks, Ewoks we can handle.

Why I Love Detroit. No, Seriously.

I was born and mostly raised in Detroit. Well, okay, not quite in Detroit, but near Detroit. I was actually born in Grosse Pointe and raised in Harper Woods, Clinton Township, and various areas of California and Arizona. Detroit is grimy and imperfect, but I have a fierce love for the city.

My love began as a youngster whose family was not opposed to spending afternoons on Belle Isle, with close relations who actually did live in the city, with family stories of the Detroit of many years ago, with field trips downtown. Here are just a few reasons why I love Detroit.

• My great-grandpa lived in Detroit when I was very young, in the house his parents built when they moved here from Germany in the 1800's, the house my grandpa grew up in, across the street from the house my grandparents lived in when they first married. Sometimes I still drive by and have a look at the old place on Harding (truthfully, it's been awhile), standing amongst the shells of its burnt out neighbors. I remember my great-grandpa pushing a manual lawn mower in the backyard, and my grandpa telling me stories of how he and his friends used to smash Tiffany lamps in the alley with their baseball bats.
• Feeding deer on Belle Isle. I'm pretty sure you're not supposed to do this anymore.
• The Belle Isle Zoo, which sadly closed its doors before my oldest was born. 
• The aquarium on Belle Isle, which also sadly closed its doors years ago, although my two oldest did get to visit a few times. Rumor mill purports that it may re-open some day...let's hope.
• The conservatory on Belle Isle, a place I still visit every year with my kids because it is beautiful and I love it, and it's free, which is also quite important to me. And when we are there we also visit the (free) nature center, and the really cool playground. We have even been known to take swan boat rides.
• The very fact of Belle Isle's existence. Okay, I really love Belle Isle, and that such an awesome place exists right in the midst of the Motor City.
• My grandparents took my cousins and I for a tour of the salt mines when we were kids. Something else I'm pretty sure you can't do anymore. My grandpa lifted a hard hat for me, which is likely still in a box in my mom's basement. He wasn't like a clepto or anything, he simply sometimes felt justified in taking things he maybe felt he had paid for with the price of admission.
• My Uncle Herb took my cousins and I to see Sesame Street Live at Cobo when I was a kid, and it was seriously so much fun.
• My grandpa used to take me to Tigers games at the old Tiger Stadium, sometimes even on school nights, and it felt pretty cool to get to stay out late and brag to my friends the next day.
• My beloved aunt lived, and still lives, in a green brick house in Detroit which was one of my favorite places to be as a kid. 
• The DIA, which I first visited with my 3rd grade class. I loved it then and I love it now. One of my favorite pictures of Bethany and Connor when they were really little was taken at the DIA.
• The Detroit Historical Museum, which I also first visited with my 3rd grade class (thank you Miss Rose!). I am long overdue for a visit, since my two youngest have never been there, and I know they would love to see the streets of Old Detroit.
• The Detroit Science Center, which I first visited with my friend and her mom many years ago. Another worthy kid friendly destination in the city.
• Greektown, especially Astoria Pastry Shop. I love the street artists and musicians and the food and the people watching and the scenery.
• The People Mover. It's super cheap (50 cents to stay on as long as you like, kids are free), the kids love it, and it's a great way to get around and see the sites from above. 
• The Detroit RiverFront, which became one of my favorite Detroit destinations this past summer. People are walking around with their families, riding bikes, jogging, doing cartwheels on the grass (that would be my daughter...), and in general enjoying the best of what Detroit has to offer. There is a carousel, with all the seats being animals indigenous to Michigan, concessions, benches overlooking the Detroit River, boat tours (Diamond Jack's river tours), the Ren Cen with the fantastic fountain outside for the kids to play in on a hot day, and Coach Insignia on the inside, for special occasion dinners with a view like none other, and Hart Plaza, that deserted urban wasteland that is really cool but for some reason no one seems to want to hang out there. I have heard tell that the plan is for the RiverFront to eventually lead all the way to Belle Isle. 
• Both of my in-law's and my father grew up in Detroit. Chris's parents actually met while ice skating at Belle Isle (yes, I'm back to Belle Isle). While they are no longer married, if not for that fated union our family would not be here as it is today.
• Faygo pop (all you people from other parts of the world, to me soda is a nasty substance used in mixed drinks and has nothing whatsoever to do with the delicious sweetness of Red Pop or Rock 'n Rye).
• Eastern Market, another place I visited with my grandparents as a child. I have yet to take my children there, shame on me.
• Three of my children were born in Detroit, at a pretty awesome hospital, nearby my awesome ob/gyn's office, also in Detroit.
• During the early years of our marriage, Chris and I lived in a sweet little one bedroom house in Detroit. I have many happy memories of this place, like the time someone was being beat to death in the street in front of our house and by the time the police arrived the culprits (and the body - dead or alive?) were long gone and the police officers didn't so much as get out of their cars to investigate, and how our mailman used to hang out at the corner bar, in uniform, with his mail truck parked outside. But since I'm writing about what I love about the city, I will just say these were happy times for us.
• I went to Wayne State University with one of my best friends in the world, and going to college there got me driving on the expressway for the first time. And we have some good Getting Lost In the City stories.
• Its proximity to Canada. Yeah, it's pretty neat that I can cross a bridge or go through a scary underwater tunnel and wind up in a foreign country. Way cool.
• That one can take Jefferson Avenue, a street that goes through my very own city, all the way downtown.
• The Fisher Theater, The Masonic Temple, The Detroit Opera House, and The Fox Theater. I love me some theater (and some Sesame Street Live), and these gorgeous venues are just heaven on earth for me.
• That there are still plenty of things I haven't done in Detroit that I really want to do and share with my kids. 

This is definitely an incomplete list. I know some people are afraid to venture into the city, and there are some valid  reasons for this. Sure there is a lot of crime (like any big city), lots of scary looking neighborhoods, and not nearly enough signage to help visitors find stuff. Detroit is kind of for insiders, and it has no business being as such, since the city really needs people to love it. Well I love it, warts and all.