So I asked the Twisted Stitchers (my local knitting and crochet group). A few said yes right away and several others couldn't go because of prior commitments. And one said yes because she wanted a night out and didn't really know what to expect. I was the only one who had been once before.
I know it sounds lame. Definitely not something a group of teenagers or hipsters would want to go to. The thing is that it is actually AWESOME! It's turned into a cult classic, kinda like the Rocky Horror Picture Show.
To start you are at the Hollywood Bowl. This is an iconic spot. Historical in Los Angeles. Great shows have been performed here for a long long time. The Bowl is an outdoor auditorium that sits in a natural bowl between some mountains. The Hollywood sign is on the mountain behind the stage.
I know these are not great pictures. They're using my cellphone because I forgot my camera.
The night starts with a costume contest. Hundreds of people dress in a lot of traditional, interesting, original and wacky costumes. They line up next to the stage and are paraded across. They get a second to give their name and what they are. The best and most original or cutest costumes get to stay around and the Judges decide on first, second and third place. I'm not sure what, if any, the prizes are.
If you look really really close you can see people lined up on the right with the host on the stage. To see pictures of costumes and things that happened at the event from others go to: Sound of Music pics
As soon as it starts to get dark, they start the movie. And everyone in the audience starts to sing a long. In and out of tone. The first scene is Maria in the Hills, singing the Hills are alive.
It's impossible for me to explain the feeling you get sitting out in nature with hundreds of other people singing the Hills Are Alive With The Sound of Music. I got chills. It's awesome. The HB hands out little goodies bags as you enter. These contain a couple of cards to hold up during parts of the movie, a popper, some edelweiss and a couple of other things. My favorite parts of the movie/sing-a-long are: whenever Baroness Schraeder enters the screen the audience hisses, same hiss for any Nazis, when Captain VonTrapp and Maria kiss for the first time everyone pops their poppers, and whenever Edelweiss is sung cell phones are held up as lighters and the crowd sways.
At the intermission, one of the ladies that came from Twisted Stitchers, told me that she didn't really want to come. That it sounded lame and that she was trying to think of ways to ditch when I walked up earlier in the day and said it was going to be a lot of fun. She decided to come. And was so happy that she did. It's hard to explain how much fun this really is. You can put aside your self consciousness and sing loudly off-key and no one cares, you can dress up, you sway and knock shoulders with perfect strangers. Everyone is having a blast. The guy next to me was drunk and very amusing. He had a ton of comments. This is not a movie where you quietly watch. It's too loud to hear what most of the actors are saying. This is a movie for audience participation-but anonymously unlike a comedy show where participation typically means you are the butt of jokes.
I love the part of the movie where Captain VonTrapp and Maria get married.
This is one experience that you can't just read about it. You have to experience it. If you're ever in Los Angeles in September you should go. Everyone will enjoy it. (Even my husband if I can get him to go). Just buy your tickets early. This is a sell out every year.
Of course we each had our knitting or crochet with us, although none of us actually used the time to knit or crochet. That's one way to know that its an awesome fun event.
This sounds like so much fun!
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