Camelot at Kansas City Starlight Theatre {Review}

Disclosure: I received press passes to attend this event. No other compensation was received and all opinions expressed are my own.

I can hardly believe that it's the middle of June and that summer shows are well underway at the lovely Starlight Theatre right here in Kansas City. I have always found Starlight to be a magical place, but this year, I'm enjoying my nights under the stars more than ever. Each show is an opportunity to travel to distant lands or somewhere in history, hear the sounds of the night around you, and just relax for awhile.

The latest production - running this week - is Lerner & Loewe's Camelot. Updated for a modern audience, this Tony-winning musical originally opened in 1960.

This production of Camelot, which launched its national tour last fall, reimagines the classic tale
of King Arthur, Guenevere, Lancelot and the Knights of the Round Table in a way that is both
intimate and fresh, while still preserving the beloved themes of brave knights, troubled
romance, passion, betrayal and majesty. The musical’s celebrated score includes the classics “If
Ever I Would Leave You,” “The Simple Joys of Maidenhood,” and, of course, the title song.

The company of Camelot at the knighting of Sir Lancelot. Photo by Scott Suchman 2014.

It's a little ridiculous to admit that as a musical theatre nerd, I've somehow never seen this show in any capacity - not even the movie! So, it was a treat to watch something new - even though I found myself familiar with many of the songs.

One of the most striking things about the production was the set design, particularly the large "tree" that sat at stage-left throughout the show. The tree created a really nice level to add some intrigue to the staging.

Adam Grabau and The Knights of the Round Table. Photo by Scott Suchman 2014.

The cast, headlined by Adam Grabau as Arthur, Mary McNulty as Guenevere, and Tim Rogan as Lancelot, brought their characters and story to life majestically. The show is filled with many musical numbers that were easily recognized - The Simple Joys of Maidenhood, Camelot, The Lusty Month of May, and If Ever I Would Leave You. I enjoyed seeing these numbers in the context of the story, and hearing the rest of the music. There were no weak performances from this cast; it was overall a very solid production performed with heart and life. The music of Frederick Loewe reminded me at multiple times of My Fair Lady, perhaps the most well-known Lerner/Loewe collaboration.

Mary McNulty is a KU graduate - it is always a treat to see someone with local knowledge perform on one of our stages! Starlight Theatre also offered youth auditions and cast three local boys to play the part of Tom of Warwick. The night of our performance we were able to see Andrew Stout perform, but the part is rotated between Andrew, Marek Burns, and Maddox Carter Bane. I love that there was an opportunity given for local kids to be a part of such a magnificent production!

Mary McNulty as Guenevere and Adam Grabau as Arthur. Photo by Scott Suchman 2014.

The story brought to life in Camelot may not be the happiest one ever, but it is done in this production with grace and spirit. I would return to this version of Camelot again in a heartbeat!

Kasidy Devlin as Modred with the Company of Camelot. Photo by Scott Suchman 2014.

Tickets for Camelot at Starlight Theatre are on sale now for $12 to $92. Tickets
are available online at Starlight Theatre, by calling 816.363.STAR (7827) or at the Starlight
box office at 4600 Starlight Road, Kansas City, MO 64132. All performances begin at 8 p.m.

You can follow the Camelot Tour (though KC is the last stop) on Twitter and Facebook, as well.

Thanks to Starlight Theatre for providing my tickets to the show. I received no other compensation and all views expressed are my own. For more information, you can read my Disclosure Policy.

Words to Dream On by Diane Stortz {Children's Book Review}

Disclosure: I received a sample copy of this book to review. All opinions expressed are my own.

Bedtime in my house seems to consist of a lot of chaos and shenanigans, regardless of how hard I try to instill a good, solid routine. There's always someone running away from getting teeth brushed, or asking for a drink of water after the lights are out, or realizing that their most treasured stuffed puppy is absent without leave.

In the spirit of keeping some consistency in the routine, we always make sure to take the time to stop and read some books before bed, even if the kids are (literally) bouncing off the walls. My favorites are the Bible story collection books - there's no better way for my kids to drift to sleep than with the promises of Jesus at the front of their minds.

This book - Words to Dream On by Diana Stortz - has been one of our favorites in recent weeks. It contains beautifully illustrated renditions of 52 Bible stories. Each story is told in just a few pages, which makes them perfect for bedtime reading. The illustrations by Diane Le Feyer are warm and feature characters full of emotion, which helps bring the stories to life for little listeners.

Each story features a story from the Bible (most of them are fairly well-known), written in terms easy for kids to understand. At the end of the story, we find both a Bedtime Blessing and a Sleepy-Time Prayer, which help to tie it all together for the kids. I love watching my children become familiar with the stories of Joseph, Moses, David, and Jesus. I get to live vicariously through their childhood faith and see the Bible come to life right before my own eyes, too! The book features a place on the cover page to inscribe who the book is to and from, which makes it a perfect gift.

We're so glad to have this title in our collection and I know it will be loved greatly throughout the years!

Thanks to BookLook Bloggers for my review sample of this book. I received no compensation for posting a review and all views expressed are my own.

Sea Anemone Birthday Number Decoration Tutorial

Looking for more Octonauts party ideas? Make sure you check out our Octonauts Party Favors, Octonauts Birthday Party Food Ideas, Octonauts Birthday Party Decoration Ideas, Sea Anemone Pipe Cleaner Craft and Paper Plate Fish Aquarium Craft!

This was one of the most random birthday party decoration ideas I have ever had, but I am pretty much in love with how it turned out. The sea anemone "4" ended up being a perfect centerpiece for the Octonauts decorations at our Octonauts birthday party. You can make it in any design you want - a different number, or a first initial, or if you're really ambitious, a full name.

While this project was a little bit time consuming, it was not terribly expensive or difficult. Here's what you'll need to make your own. 

Sea Anemone Birthday Number Decoration

Supplies Needed

-Large Plastic Canvas

-Sharpie

-Scissors

-LOTS of Pipe Cleaners in colors of your choice

I found the plastic canvas at Hobby Lobby, but most craft store should sell it. It measured around 18" wide by 3 feet tall.

1. Using a Sharpie, draw your letter template onto the canvas, then cut out. The edges will be a little sharp and it's okay if the marker lines show.

2. Cut pipe cleaners in half. You could leave them full length, but I found the pieces a little too long for my taste. Starting at an edge, thread both ends of pipe cleaner through adjacent holes. Bring the pieces through the other side, pull tight, and twist to hold in place.

3. Repeat....forever. This project took ages to complete and my hands kept getting pricked by the pipe cleaner edges - but sea anemones sting, so it's all good fun I suppose!

After awhile, I decided not to do every single hole. I started skipping three to five holes in each direction and it still turned out great. You can see what I mean below. I did keep the outside edge consistent, with pipe cleaners in each hole.

Hanging it was interesting - I ended up using a combination of fishing line and push pins. Had I not been planning this party at the last moment (as usual), I might have tried to construct a stand so that it could rest on its own.

Overall, I was really pleased with how it turned out - it was a simple decoration that had a lot of pizzazz for our Octonauts party!

23/52

"A portrait of my children, once a week, every week, in 2015."

Oh, my precious sleeping babies. One of my favorite things is to watch them sleep.

Linking up at Practising Simplicity.  

22/52

"A portrait of my children, once a week, every week, in 2015."

Lincoln - obsessed with everything about the water park on our quick vacation last week.
Addie - exploring Silver Dollar City. Reminds me of this trip - how fast she has grown.

Linking up at Practising Simplicity.