It’s NOT too late. The holidays are upon us and many of you are looking for last minute gifts. This season give the gift of an experience. Purchase tickets to see Sleeping Beauty at the Ensemble Theatre in Over the Rhine. You will not regret it. It’s become an annual tradition for us to see a show during Thanksgiving weekend. And it’s always one of our favorite performances of the year. (On the other hand, I may have fallen asleep during The Snow Queen at the Taft last weekend.)

My favorite thing about the Ensemble in general is the feeling you get that you are right in the middle of the show. It is a steep and smaller theater so all of the seats have an unblocked view. This makes it great for my kids. Charlotte was a little apprehensive about this production’s character version of “Maleficent” named “Wisteria” and how close she felt to her in this theater, but you see that Charlotte is smiling in the picture with her in the above right photo.

I also love the casting. Year after year, many cast members can be recognized yet they play their new roles so perfectly. My girls adored the three fairies. And the singing! It’s amazing. This version of Sleeping Beauty is so entertaining – both for young and old. There is romance, sadness and comedy. Within minutes you feel both heartbreak and then are laughing out loud.

The kids LOVE meeting the characters afterwards. Briar Rose was so sweet. They all are so great at talking to the little ones and asking them about their favorite parts of the show. And they are always wiling to stick around even longer for photos. That crazy Falcon loved to photo-bomb! Overall, my girls really enjoyed Disney’s Sleeping Beauty. This live musical production far surpassed any expectations. The story is similar with some great additions.

I also love the location of the theater. When we go downtown for the show, I try to make an entire afternoon out of it. This year we headed next door to Taste of Belgium afterwards for the girls’ first visit. There is no question that they loved the chocolate waffle.

Then we walked a little further down to Holtman’s. We grabbed a dozen to bring home for the whole family to enjoy the next morning.

If your family has not yet experienced a show at the Ensemble Theatre, put it on your to-do list. Sleeping Beauty is there until January 4th and there are still tickets available.

{Full disclosure: I was invited to a blogger event to view Sleeping Beauty during the preview weekend. My 4 tickets were free. All opinions are my own!}

 What’s the last performance you saw?