My family and I recently received an invitation to experience a performance at the Gaslight Music Hall which recently opened up in Oro Valley, near Tucson. The Music Hall is associated with the Gaslight Theatre, which I’ve previously written about here.
I wasn’t quite sure what to expect. I love the Gaslight Theatre. You know how you anticipate a sequel to a favorite movie or book, but you’re also worried that it won’t live up to the original? That’s similar to how I felt about the new location.
And now that I’ve seen a performance at the Gaslight Music Hall, I can say that our family, from my parents, to me and my husband, to my three year old son, loved it. We attended Beach Blanket Be-Bop, which is occurring every Thursday night until August 25th. It’s described as a musical comedy variety show and I couldn’t agree more.
At its core, it’s just like the Gaslight Theatre, from the checkered table covers to the baskets of popcorn. But it also has its own unique personality.
We arrived at the Music Hall early so I could take photos to give you an idea of the layout of the Music Hall. When I told others about our visit, that seemed to be the first question that people asked. When we first entered the Music Hall, we were greeted by someone standing at a ticket booth. I loved this, because it seemed so personal. It made my family feel welcome. And in today’s times, I think that goes a long way. Once my family checked in at the ticket booth, we were taken to our tables inside the theater.
Popcorn!! And as you can see by the pictures below, there was plenty of room for people to move around.
Just like the Gaslight Theatre, the Music Hall also has a menu with a variety of food, including pizza. My favorite (besides the popcorn of course!) were the pretzel sticks and the milkshake.
The emcee of the performance was the Big Kahuna! The performance takes place in the 1960s, at the beach. Rhonda and Mickey, two of the main characters, break up, causing the characters to break out in 60s songs, like “Help Me Rhonda.”
Photo provided by Gaslight Music Hall.
I loved the music. Several of the songs were beach themed like Surfin Safari, Summertime Blues, Surf City, and Under the Boardwalk. And other songs, like Can’t Hurry Love and One Fine Day, are also beloved classics. I also loved that the performers encouraged audience participation - at one point, audience members were asked to come on stage to participate in a hula hoop contest. And the five piece band? Wow. They were amazing as well.
Photo provided by Gaslight Music Hall.
Some of you are probably wondering - but what about younger children? Will they like it, too? My answer is yes, but as always, it depends on the performance. I think Beach Blanket Be-Bop is one that the children will really enjoy. It is very interactive. For example, children were called on stage to do the limbo. And the beach theme is one that appeals to all ages. My son also enjoyed the music. When Mickey was singing “Help Me Rhonda” my son told my husband that he needed help, lol.
My son was even inspired to learn to do the hang loose sign 🙂 He almost had it!
Know Before You Go
The Music Hall doesn’t just play Beach Blanket Be-Bop, although I highly encourage those of you to check it out before it ends its run on August 25, 2016. There are several other concert series that will be playing, like the Creedence Clearwater Revival, Doo-Wop, the Manhattan Dolls, and the Cher, Bette Midler, Elton John, and Bette Midler impersonators.
Tickets to the Music Hall can be purchased online, at the box office during box office hours, by telephone, and even at the east side location. You can also see a seating chart on the Music Hall’s website, which is something that I appreciate.
As you can see from the pictures, we had a wonderful time and we are already planning a trip back for future performances.