Melinda & Stephanie Here!

We took the older kids (Ages 4-9) to see Zorro at the Utah Children’s Theatre on Friday night. The Theatre is totally just for kids.  You may be thinking Zorro might be a little intense for younger kids, but they did a great job making it family friendly.

The theatre has been totally refurbished. The outside is totally vintage with the old marque but when you walk in... it's beautiful and modern with classic old time feel.

It was fun to get out and do something with the kids where we weren’t focused on taking care of the really little ones and we could actually sit back and enjoy ourselves as well.

We were first introduced to The Children’s Theatre this past fall when I took the kids on a school field trip to see their Shakespeare production, which is an original, comedic compilation of various Shakespearean works. Corbin and Makelle thought it was hilarious and spent the next several weeks quoting Shakespeare lines, so I knew we’d have to go back with Dad sometime.

We love exposing our kids to new experiences and there is something about live theater that is enthralling. Corbin just finished learning about Zorro in his Tall Tales and legends unit with his scout troop and it was perfect timing to take him to the play. The show was actually a really well balanced production, with just enough adventure, comedy and romance to keep all of us entertained.

Corbin loved the fact that they had zip lines running across the ceiling that sent Zorro soaring over everyone’s heads in some scenes. And his favorite part was when Zorro was fighting with 5 different soldiers all at once, highlighting some pretty good swordplay, that left them standing, beaten and humiliated, in their long johns.

Even the parents couldn’t help but to laugh out loud pretty much every time Sargeant Gonzales stepped foot on the stage. He really embraced his role and played to his young audience, chasing Zorro all over, trying foolishly to set a trap for the bandit, only to end in embarrassing failure. Next to actually watching the play we really enjoyed watching our kids’ reactions to the play.

In one scene Zorro grabs Valencia and kisses her, Makelle’s mouth literally dropped and she clasped her hand over her mouth in shock! I wish I had had a camera to capture that moment, she was completely caught up in the storyline and on the edge of her seat throughout the entire performance.

We got a chance to visit with a couple of the actors after the show who were kind enough to answer the kids’ questions and show them Zorro’s real whip and teach them about how it literally breaks the sound barrier every time he cracks it. The boys were impressed, to say the least. All of the actors we spoke with expressed how much they enjoy working with The Children’s Theater and how fun it is to be able to bring the culture and experience of live theater to children.

Plus, my kids have been running around shouting out random Spanish words while brandishing imaginary swords all weekend, so I know they really must have enjoyed it!

Be sure to read below for a few tips, a Giveaway for 4 tickets and a discount for our readers!

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