I made a big deal out of going to see the play. I talked with the kids about what they would see, and I went over and over behavior for while we were there. I promised them we could go out to lunch if they did well. And they did!
The night before, we picked out some nicer outfits for the theater and read the book. The next day, they got baths, and we picked up Robin on our way to the theater. We got there a little, but not horribly, early so they could see the theater and get comfortable in there. We had to get a booster seat for Emme because she was so short, but even with it in place, she was too light to hold the seat down!
The play itself was really cute. I wasn't sure how they were going to turn such a short book into a 90-minute play, let alone one that held the kids' interest, but they really did. It was charming and made me want to take them back to the theater to see more plays. Oliver was totally stone-faced the entire play. He didn't smile, laugh, or frown. He was just very focused. Emmeline cried at the beginning of the play. I think the darkness and loud music just scared her. She sat on my lap until the intermission, and then she wanted to sit back in her own seat. I was prepared to take her back to the crying room if needed. I wasn't sure she would sit still quietly for that long. But she didn't need it and also seemed to like the play.
It was hard to know what the kids really thought about it after the fact. Neither one seemed to be very reactive during the play itself, but both talked about it a lot afterwards. For a first trip to the theater, it went really well.
