Posted By admin on February 8, 2010

The girls & I went to see the Atlanta Ballet’s “Cinderella” this weekend. We bought our tickets to last summer during a 50% off sale, and we got very lucky—A) We had good seats (right orchestra, near the aisle). And B) I failed to check the calendar for potential conflicts, like the Super Bowl, but we were home in plenty of time for kickoff after the 2:00 p.m. matinee, so it worked out.

A brief review: “Cinderella” was our first non-Nutcracker trip to the ballet, so I have little to compare it to. But I can tell you that it was a fun production. My girls, especially my five year old, sat on the edge of their seats the entire time, and that wasn’t just so that they could see better. They’re still at an age where they’re fascinated by princesses, and they were mesmerized by both Cinderella and the fairy godmother. It’s not the Disney version on stage; per my daughters, Cinderella’s dress is the “wrong” color (it should be blue, not pink), and they thought it was odd that Cinderella’s father was still alive, too. But now I have an excuse to dig out the original fairy tale & read it to them so that we can figure out which version is closest to accurate.

Highlights: The stepsisters were hilarious, as was the jester. It took my girls a bit to pick up on the fact that the stepsisters were actually boys dressed up as girls, but once they realized that, they thought they were even funnier. And I thought the set was very well done, especially the mirrored windows during the ball scenes. I was surprised by how much detail went into the production; I’d always assumed that the ballet’s sets would be fairly sparse.

Disappointments (Neither of these have anything to do with the production itself): 1) The Cobb Energy Centre ran out of booster seats (get there at least 10 minutes early if your kids need one). 2) The noise level in the audience was beyond ridiculous. Most of the chatter came from the center of the house, which surprised me, as those are the most expensive seats and I’d assume that those families can afford to attend live productions more frequently & their kids have enough experience to know how to behave. The Atlanta Ballet built in two intermissions, so the kids had frequent breaks to stretch, chat & burn off a little bit of energy, but it was clear that quite a few parents had zero interest in quieting their children during the performance, or showing any respect themselves, for that matter. There was a near-constant sound of unwrapping food items, even though the sign prohibited food in the theatre for this production. I hope Cobb Energy trains its ushers to usher people out. It’s was very disrespectful.

Want to go? You can still save on tickets to upcoming performances with these deals:

1) You can buy a family four pack of tickets for $200, a savings of $148 (at that price point, those are good seats). Additional tickets are $50 each, but you must buy a minimum of four.

2) Don’t need four? Or want to pay less per ticket? Use promo code “SLIPPER” to save 20%. There’s a limit of four tickets per household.

3) If you go to see Diana: A Celebration, you can bring your ticket stub to save 50% on tickets through February 14. Save even more by taking advantage of a ticket discount for Diana, too.

Cinderella will be at the Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre from February 4-14, 2010. 2800 Cobb Galleria Parkway, Atlanta.

–Jennifer Maciejewski

P.S. I’ve linked you to the deals via my affiliate’s link. If you’re planning to take advantage of the deals via Ticketmaster & feel like sending a little love my way, please use the links. Thanks!

Tags: 20% off, 50% off, Atlanta, atlanta ballet, Cinderella, coupon, coupon code, discount, promo, promo code, [where: 30339]

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