The story of Santa Claus comes to life on the stage of Casa Manana this month. I was so excited to see this show, not because I didn’t know the story of Santa but because it was going to be the first stage show my daughter would see. Sienna is 4 years old and was going on this trip with her school. I really wanted to be there, so I tagged along.
This particular version of the history of Santa was taken from the book “The Life and Adventures of Santa Claus” by L. Frank Baum. It takes the audience through the life of Claus (as he was called) from newborn to the Santa we know today (white beard, jolly belly, red suit). I knew the cast would be made up mostly of kid actors and  wow did they deliver. I love to watch talented children act on stage. The light in their eyes when they sing and dance is magical. I also really appreciated the talent of the grown up Santa. He was a bright light in what seemed to be a slow moving show.
The important thing was that Sienna really enjoyed the experience. We had terrific seats, in the second row, so when the first child began to sing, she was in arms length of us. I could see in Sienna’s eyes the magic of seeing something for the first time. Â I could hear her gasp in amazement and it made me feel like maybe this moment changed her life. Just seeing her experience this for the first time, was worth it all. A moment I will never forget.
If you want to take your family to see “Santa Claus The Musical” it will be at Casa Manana through December 23rd. Casa Manana is located in Fort Worth. Call 817-332-2272 or log onto the
Casa Manana websitefor ticket information.
Don’t miss this experience!
For other great Holiday events in North Texas, be sure to read Holly’s article on
Holiday in Dallas!
I have 4 1/2 year old twin boys. We also went with their school and sat in the first and second rows….in the far right hand corner. You know – where the smoke/fog emerges from twice in the first 20 minutes. We were completely engulfed in smoke that tasted both sweet and bitter at the same time. The kids were feeling perplexed and insulted that somebody would send that much smoke out into the crowd.
For the 30 seats in our immediate area it was terrible. It was just our bad luck that we were seated there, but when the smoke emerged again, tears quickly followed and we had to exit the show…permanently.
Aside from the unfortunate smoke situation, my boys found the show slow and slightly scary – with that strange “bear” that emerged without a face…only a wire cage representing his head. The loud crashes and flashes that followed the entrance and exit of the ice queen, or whomever she was, were a little too much for my kiddos sitting so close to the stage. Perhaps they were sensitive post smoke incident.
Ok, so my point here is that while we were so excited to attend the play at Casa Manana, it was not a great experience for us. I think we will wait until next year to take in another live performance of this magnitude. And we will request better seats as well.