My mom and I have a tradition of going to see a play or musical or opera or dance show every year. Since Makai was born the tradition has been rocked a little. I mean. Kids shows like Shrek the Musical and Daniel Tiger Live don’t really count, do they? And this was usually something we did on our own, not with kids along! This year was a little weird with getting laid off and getting a new job and getting back into a routine and on our feet. FINALLY in late September we finally got to go.
For dinner we went to Grassroots, which used to be called Deleece, but was Deleece’s “newer” location, not the one we went to when Dallas lived on Irving and Ashland. The restaurantis right next door to the Mercury Theater, where we were going to see Hair: The American Tribal Love-Rock Musical. When I say right next door, I MEAN right next door. Like the restaurant and the theater share a bathroom!
Grassroots focuses on simple, farm to table comfort food that is locally sourced. To start I had brussels sprouts and mom had a sausage and walnut soup.
As a main course mom had some delicious chicken with beans and garlic mash.
I had shrimp and vegetable linguine with pasta made in-house.
For dessert we shared, but mom had chocolate truffles in an espresso sauce.
I had brownie with house-made marshmallow fluff, bruleed bananas and salted peanut ice cream.
I asked if the theater served cocktails, as we’d had a few drinks with dinner. We were told that they don’t, but that we could get a glass of wine in a to-go paper coffee cup! So we did that, of course.
Since Hair was in a small theater, I splurged and got third row seats. Splurged, but tickets were less than balcony seats downtown! The stage was built out into the the seating area, so even though we were in the third row, we were really in the front row for a lot of the action. Close enough for cast hugs, and the handing out of flowers, and… in the first song, a guy took his pants off and handed them to me! So yah. It got interactive.
Coincidentally, I’ve been reading a book called The Nix that takes place in the present day and also in the time of the 1968 DNC riots in Chicago. Lots of overlapping themes with Hair. War. Peace. Hippies. Protesting. Some themes were a bit more racy, like drugs and sex. At one point in the play, everyone on stage was naked! But it was dark.
I loved the show. So much amazing talent on the stage. I don’t know if I’d want to sit in the front row for every show, but it was cool to experience.
Here are all of the dinner-and-a-show days we’ve done over the years:
2016: Daniel Tiger Live with Makai (does this even count!?)
2015: First Wives Club
2013: Shrek the Musical with Dad and Jess (Does this count!?)
2012: Buona Terra + Showboat at the Lyric Opera
2011: Gosu + Beauty and the Beast
2010: El Nandu + Hubbard Street Dance
2009: Rhapsody + Jersey Boys
2008: Landmark + Dead Man’s Cell Phone at the Steppenwolf Theater
2007: Costello’s + Blue Man Group
2005: Hillary’s Urban Eatery (HUE) + Wicked
2004: Petterino’s + Mamma Mia
Ze Olde Days (1999?): Riverdance in Milwaukee
Ancient Times (1997?): Lorie Line