Holiday Shows: reviews and photos
January 9th, 2010Audrey and I went on our annual Christmas date, this year to see Cirque Dreams: Holidaze at Raleigh Memorial after a brunch at Poole’s Diner. Our date was at the beginning of December. On the day after Christmas, I went with Geannine and her daughter Allie and a few of their friends to see Carolina Ballet’s production of The Nutcracker. I enjoyed both holiday shows! Below is a quick review of each, including Poole’s diner. Photos from the events have been posted here.
Poole’s Diner: Audrey and I started our date at Poole’s Diner in downtown Raleigh which was within walking distance of Raleigh Memorial. Parking across the street was convenient and free on Sunday afternoon. We were also able to leave our cars there during the show – another plus. The outside of the building is pretty ugly and easy to miss. In fact, Audrey got out of her car, glanced at the building, and thought for sure that wasn’t the restaurant and headed in the opposite direction. The inside of the restaurant was nicer. They didn’t have individual menus but rather a series of chalkboards around the restaurant. We found that to be fairly inconvenient, but it wasn’t a big deal once we settled on what we wanted to order. I’m guessing that their menus change frequently. The place is definitely not kid friendly – they even state as much on their website. Poole’s Diner is small, and it seems that almost half of the seating is at the bars. So how about the food? I can only speak for brunch, and I enjoyed it. I ordered some type of big biscuit smothered with a very savory sauce. It wasn’t the southern version of biscuits and gravy but something a bit different. The sauce was tomato based, and the biscuit contained egg, cheese, and meat (I think – since it’s been over a month now, I’m having trouble remembering the details). I also had a HUGE scone which was tasty. I don’t think that the menu was what I had necessarily expected for brunch, but it was very good. I would go there again.
Cirque Dreams: Holidaze: I have seen most of the Cirque du Soleil shows in Vegas, and I knew that this wasn’t the same type of thing exactly. I wasn’t sure what to expect. Cirque Dreams is very different. Cirque Dreams had some of the acrobatics that you see in Cirque du Soleil shows, but most of the acts stayed close to the ground. Each piece had music and a primary focus on a performer (or group of performers) who had a specialty, usually involving some sort of prop. I found myself very impressed by most of the acts (and occasionally worried about the safety of the performers!). Many of these performers have been training in gymnastics and circus performance nearly their entire lives. It’s amazing what the human body can do with years and years of practice and training! Each scene was very dreamlike with crazy characters and props happening in the background and to the side of the main focus. Both Cirque du Soleil and Cirque Dreams have a talent for coming up with some truly bizarre ideas! Overall, I thought the show was great and a good kickoff for the Christmas season. It was different, and I’m glad it was our Christmas date for 2009!
The Nutcracker: I have seen the Carolina Ballet’s production of The Nutcracker at least twice before, so it did not carry many surprises for me. I did pay more attention to families with small children (as well as the small children who were in our party). I knew Maddie wouldn’t be ready for the show this year, but I was thinking that she might enjoy it next year. I think I might hold off for at least one more year after that (or two). It’s always fun to see the little girls dressed up in their finest Christmas dresses. The kids around 8-years old seem to really enjoy the whole experience. I look forward to taking Maddie (and hopefully her brother, too). The music is beautiful, and I love the costumes (for the most part – I could do without the male costumes that leave nothing to the imagination!). We had excellent seats. I’m glad that I revisited The Nutcracker this year and look forward to experiencing it with Maddie in a few years!
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