See it Live in NYC

I have always been trying to create community through this blog. One primary way to do that, is for dads to post guest blog entries about their fatherhood experiences. Here is a wonderful example of Scott (and son Byron) sharing their passion for live performance...

New York City is a unique place that offers such a wide variety of choices for your baby to enjoy. Often overlooked are live productions. From children's productions to venues you would think only a grown up would appreciate, our babies will love all of them. I often overhear parents saying that there is no way their baby can sit still through anything for an hour or two. From my limited experience, I have not seen any child (babies included) have to leave mid performance. So if you haven't been to a live performance with your baby, now is the time to start!

The first live show I took my son to was the Big Apple Circus, back when he was 4 months old. I thought that he would sleep through it (he was still on a two hour sleep schedule,) or cry because of all the sudden noises and flashing lights, making us leave early. Much to my amazement, he not only stayed awake, but followed everything! Propped up on my lap, he scanned the ring and followed the action the entire two hours with much more clarity then my prejudices thought a four month old could handle.

Zoom to age 17 months, I brought him to a benefit concert put on by Steve Schalchlin, where he performed Living in the Bonus Round 2010. It was very grown up stuff. Not only the context of the story, but it was three hours straight hours of storytelling in song done by a man and his piano. Not quite the event where one would expect to see an audience member of a year and a half. Byron spent all three hours entranced by the performance. I could feel him patting his fingers to the beat throughout the songs and swinging his legs, as he tracked each guest singer and the piano playing. His body tensed with the energy that matched the room. Who would have thought that a little baby like this could have gotten so much from a performance? Three hours of no fussing, no crying and pure fascination. Oh, and it started at 7pm!

Last week, Literally Alive hosted the NYC Dads Group. I was really excited that I was taking my son (now almost 19 months) to another live performance. The professional production was a musical based on Cinderella, and it proved to be just as fascinating as his last experiences. There was an engaging preshow Q & A followed by a small craft event, all related to the upcoming production. My son really wanted to take part in the crafts, but because of the quantity of kids on the small stage, waiting until three years of age before taking part in the crafts would help the two frazzled workers overseeing it. The production itself was top notch, beautiful singing, songs, music, set...all the trappings of a great memory. If there is someone who can't sit still, there is an area in the back of the venue where you can bring your child to hang out and still watch, but I don't think there was one child that had to go back there. For seats starting at $25, you can have an enjoyable theater experience, and find out that your child will have tons of fun too. I can't wait to go back and see their next production, Treasure Island. If your baby is under the age of two and can sit on your lap, it's free. You only pay for actual seats. A wonderful way to immerse your baby into the theater, and especially if you're worried about attention spans.

Next, I'm going to look into Lincoln Center for a classical concert or opera.