A winter story

Biscuit and I went to see a play this evening called "Snow Queen." It's based on Hans Christian Andersen's fairy tale of the same name.

The story was published in 1845 and is about two kids who are best friends but get separated when the Snow Queen kidnaps the boy. The version Biscuit and I saw was done with an Appalachian twist. The original version's boy and girl were named Kai and Gerda. The Appalachian version's kids were named Cade and Gertie.

After realizing that the Snow Queen has Cade, Gertie goes on a journey to bring him home. She encounters animals, which were done as large puppets. She has to prove her bravery and her love to get Cade back.

The production we saw also feature original music by a local musician, all done in an Appalachian style. And the characters spoke with accents straight out of the old-time Appalachian dialect. They used words like "mayhaps" instead of "perhaps" and said "shore" instead of "sure." I really loved the speech patterns.

My day was a mad dash. Coming back from the funeral trip, I had a lot to catch up on. Plus, today is what I refer to as "Stupid Website Day." I have to put all the stories, photos, headlines, info boxes, etc. from my section onto the paper's website. It's about a 3-hour chore, and after slamming and shoveling my way through my morning, it was all I could do to get done in time to get get Biscuit.

I got to Biscuit's day care, and he was so excited about the play. He was wearing jeans and a T-shirt, and when he found out we weren't going home before we headed back downtown, he was worried.

"But Mom, if we don't go home, I can't change my shirt and look really handsome," Biscuit said.

"First of all," I said, "you're handsome no matter what you're wearing. But we don't have time to go home first, so that's why I put one of your sweaters and your nicer shoes in a bag. We'll change your shirt and shoes when we get there."

We got a good spot in the parking garage, and I helped Biscuit swap out his shirt and shoes.

"Now I'm even handsomer," Biscuit said with a big grin.

We went to will-call and picked up our tickets, and we had an hour until time for the play to start.

"How 'bout some pizza?" I asked Biscuit.

"Ooooo! Pizza!" Biscuit said.

I ordered us a slice each. Biscuit's was about as big as his head.

After we ate, we walked back across the street to the theater.

We people-watched for a while in the lobby, then went to get our seats. The two seats in front of Biscuit were empty, so he had a perfect line of sight.

The action of the play moved a little slower than I thought, but Biscuit stuck with it the whole time. There was one spot where he got a little antsy, but just as he shifted in his seat, some comic relief characters came out and had him laughing.

As we left the theater, I realized that Biscuit was one of only two kids in the audience. The other kid was a little girl, who was probably about 10. But Biscuit seemed to be the attention-grabber for all the older ladies. I bet six or eight of them asked him if he enjoyed the play and what was his favorite part.

I love that Biscuit has enjoyed the two plays he's been to. It's something I didn't have access to growing up because we lived in such a rural place. Plus, I have to take him to these things now before he gets all wrapped up in baseball and car shows with his Dad!