birthday party cancelled, rainy day, so i looked online for something to do. miles and maya and i ended up heading to the castro to see the singalong little mermaid at the castro theater. i was surprised to see a line around the block and many folks in costume, but was assured we would get in. we did! taking our goodie bags to our seats we walked through a sea of happy people wearing golden paper crowns, waving light sticks, laughing. the pipe organist was playing "under the sea" and soon the hilarious emcees sebastian and ariel took the stage. there were some subtle sex jokes that the kids did not have a chance of understanding. there was a children's parade across the stage of little girls in mermaid and princess costumes. the very large and beautiful ariel introduced each one with great appreciation in her voice, even maya who was wearing jeans and a red shirt, and was introduced as "a beautiful princess from a far away land" and given her bag of fruity snack to great applause. then a brief adult costume contest and the movie began.
why ever go see a kid's movie the regular AMC kinda' way when you can see it this way? we were given props and instructions. "tell ariel to look out when the sharks come", "hiss when you see the eels", "make kissy noises when eric and ariel have a kissy moment", "blow your bubbles when she takes the bubble bath", "wave your glow sticks to warn ariel not to listen to ursula". everyone obeyed and added their own cheers and boos and gasps. oh yes, and it was a sing along with words for all the songs provided on screen and a majority of attendees singing out loud.
afterwards we stopped in at cliff's variety and i impulse bought a snoopy snow cone machine.
super camp. super fun. on the 33 bus on the way home a rough looking twenty-something-year-old overheard us talking about the movie and asked if we had been at the castro theater. she said she had been to the sing along sound of music. she thought they should have the rocky horror picture show, which brought me back. i used to love seeing that,everyone throwing toast when a toast was proposed, and squirting squirt guns in the rain, watching ridiculous meatloaf and sexy tim curry. and before the kids were born i used to go to the castro way more, for serious movies, silent movies, and to throw pills at the screen during mommy dearest.
there used to be more silly adult behavior in my life and i miss it.
the campiness today made me feel so much more connected to my fellow audience. and paying a little bit more was worth it, especially knowing that the theater can then afford to show non-commercial important films. i think we will be back next month for the sing along wizard of oz. wanna come?
cassie, missed you today...
xo
1 comment:
Sing along Little Mermaid? Oh man! Maybe I could convince a Chicago theater to do the same?
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