Summer Stage

Supporting the arts with a picnic & pink champagne

Friday night, we packed Fritz's car with enough provisions, chairs, and blankets to last the entire weekend — but ours was just a three-hour tour to Lapham Peak and back. Our lovely and talented Caitlin is stealing the show at the Summer Stage throughout the month of June, and we would never miss the chance to cheer her on to Southeast Wisconsin stardom. She's playing the love interest in "Don't Drink the Water," a play by Woody Allen.

Erin strikes a casual picnic pose & Fritz plays Vanna White.

Loaded up like pack mules with lawn chairs, picnic blankets, tote bags bursting with eats, and coolers chockfull of drinks, we made our way to the stage. Luckily we were intercepted by the charming Summer Stage staff who told us we could wait for the shuttle — AKA golf cart. What service!

We picked a spot on the hillside and spread out our magnificent feast. I mixed up the avocado salsa, Erin set out the cheese & sausage platter, and Fritz popped the bottle of pink champagne. We marveled at how our group is never without outrageous amounts of food and mused that maybe we should try out for "The Sound of Music" at the Waukesha Civic Theatre (auditions next week!); if we did, they'd have all their nuns covered. We sang a few rounds of "How do you solve a problem like Maria?" and before we knew it, it was show time. 

Caitlin more than rocked her role — she's a natural at playing the love interest with equal parts innocence and sass. And her wardrobe! The play is set in the 1960s, so there were bright coats and a-line swing dresses galore. My one and only complaint: that it wasn't a musical. Caitlin is the songbird of our group, so hearing her sing is always my favorite part of seeing her on stage. But I'm sure there's another musical in her future.

We four stayed up late that night eating cheese pizza, doing our best "Tight Pants" impressions, searching YouTube for Gordon McRae videos, and debating the best Jean Valjean of all time (Ramin vs. JOJ). Is there anything better than sinking into a memory foam mattress surrounded by your girls and flawless versions of "Bring Him Home"?