My page has always been mainly devoted to movies, the ones I own on videotape most particularly. But as the years went on, I expanded the page to other areas. The next bit of expansion is this section on the Theater, after all, much of what’s on Broadway may end up on the big screen eventually.

But, odd things happen when Broadway productions get converted to movies. Scenes get added and deleted, songs get added and deleted, and moved to different scenes. Sometimes it becomes an entirely different production (there’s a movie called Anything Goes, and a musical of the same name, but they have next to nothing in common). Most of us never notice, because most of us will never get a chance to see a Broadway production – but then again, there is regional theater, so maybe you will get a chance to see a real show.

In my area, the big chances to see live theater are at the Little Theater in Sullivan (mostly summer), Kirkland at Millikin University (mostly during the school year), and local high school productions in the fall (not a lot of polish, but they make up for it with enthusiasm). Richland occasionally has an obscure production at Schilling Auditorium, and whenever they can scrape up enough time, money, and people, Theater 7 puts on productions at the Civic Center. When I was in High School, I performed in the fall musicals (Bye Bye Birdie, Oklahoma, Carousel, and the previously mentioned Anything Goes), but have only seen 2 high school shows since (Grease – at MacArthur High School, and a very interesting Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, performed with a cast consisting of 2 boys, and the rest all girls at Effingham High School). We’ve been to Kirkland twice, never to see a musical, but to see a pair of classical guitarist (we can’t remember what the other visit was for). Oh, and while I’m thinking about it, we did go and see Pump Boys and Dinettes when we visited Branson (as well as a magic show). In 1997 we saw a very good production of Brigadoon – 1998 brought The Sound of Music and Grease. 1999 started with a Valentine's day production of I Do, I Do, and then Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, and Bye Bye Birdie, as well as the children's productions of Pinnochio, Cinderella, and Winnie the Pooh. 2000 brought us (among others) The Lion in Winter and Peter and the Wolf -- 2 productions on either end of the spectrum. Sad to say, I don't even remember if we saw anything in 2001 -- Sharon was pregnant with Alex at the time, and her arthritis was just beginning to rear it's ugly little head. In 2002 we managed to see Seven Brides for Seven Brothers, and a stage version of Footloose (if you can imagine that).

This year we have finally gone and done it -- season tickets!! We've already seen The Music Man Jr. and Oklahoma!, The Pirates of Penzance and I Love You, You're Perfect, Now Change (yeah, I've never heard of it either) Grand Hotel was next, and to close out the season was a reprise of Grease. Then this fall, unless things get in the way, I plan on joining up with Theater 7. Jim (from work) and his wife Angela have been members for several years, and it sounds like it could be a hoot. Next year will be a bit dull -- they'll be doing major renovations, so there won't be any productions.

OK, so it's not really theater, but it was live -- Amy Grant's Christmas