F.R.I.E.N.D.S. at Play: July 2012

What a fabulous afternoon! Great friends, delicious food, and a wonderful musical that's all about US! Awesome!

This great adventure took place at the charming . . .

Center Stage Theatre, Fontana

Hats! the Musical

This is a really old theatre that was built back in 1937 and has been beautifully restored while still keeping the original old-fashioned enchantment and elegance. It's a fairly small venue and I don't think there is a bad seat in the house. The staff are all really friendly and helpful, and we were totally spoiled while we were there.

The afternoon began with a delicious meal, starting with a walnut cranberry salad, followed by a choice of steak, chicken, salmon or pasta, all of which were equally yummy. Dessert was cheesecake with raspberry sauce. Here we are ready for lunch . . .

Sitting L-R - Bonnie, Carol N, Cathy, Barbara L, Debbie, Carol L. Standing L-R - Joy, Leslie, Shelly, Annie, Barbara G.

The show, "Hats!" is the story of MaryAnne, a gal who is facing the "big 5-0" with a lot of fear and reluctance. We all understand - 5-0 is a number that, back when we were younger versions of ourselves, we also viewed as "scary", "old", "over the hill", "done". Now that we are on the other side of that scary birthday, we all know that at 50 you're really still just a kid. (Aren't we still just kids even now?) But it took awhile after that milestone birthday for us to realize that life doesn't "end" at 50. Anyway, the story is about MaryAnne and how her friends circle around her and make the transition easier. They let her know that there is plenty of life, fun and friendship to be had as you grow older. And don't we know that!

The story is told with humor and wonderful music, and we were all prepared to laugh and have a good time. What we weren't prepared for (or at least I wasn't), was for the story to also be touching, and full of personal stories that we can all relate to . . .the ladies in the show represent a cross-section of every Red Hat chapter - the widow, the divorcee, the empty-nester, the one who is absent-minded and forever optimistic, the one with the "attitude" that doesn't end . . . each lady had a story and told it in a real and moving way that brought tears to the eyes.

But in the end, it was all about the Red Hat, celebrating every moment that God gives us on this earth, and making those strong friendships that Red Hats is all about. We LOVED it!