The big event of the evening was a ballet, the Legend of Sleepy Hollow. I didn’t really understand it – I was expecting a spooky headless horseman prancing around on stage killing people with his full-bodied grace and spandexed form, but the whole thing was about a teacher who was having an affair with someone important… I think. After the intermission, I gave up on following the story and just enjoyed the music and motion. It was pretty good.
While the show took some getting used to, the setting was great. The Hylton Performing Arts Center is the swank new local arts center, which is a pretty impressive building. It has been open for awhile now, but this was my first time visiting.
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| The Hylton Performing Arts Center even lights up. Ooohh. |
I love big civic buildings like this, particularly when they are done very well. This one is beautiful, but if I had one complaint, I wish that it were closer to town… even though the town in question is Manassas. It would be neat to get all dressed up, go out to a fancy dinner on a pleasant fall evening and then walk through town to catch a show… even if, well, the town in question is Manassas.
A big part of me wants to be a well-dressed regular at all the high-culture events with all the other well-dressed regulars, but alas, we can only win tickets to so many events.
At intermission, someone wearing a fancy orange suit got up on stage and thanked everyone for coming. As a sort of sales pitch, he mentioned how great it would be if the show was sold out and he is absolutely right. It becomes more of an intimate and shared experience for all, turning it into something of an event.
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| The view from the cheap seats. |
As it was the place was about a third full, which is pretty good for a ballet in a small town… especially given the town in question is Manassas.
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