This weekend, my daughter and I were able to attend a stage production of Mirette, presented by Lyric Stage, at The Majestic Theatre in Dallas. Mirette is the musical theatre adaption of one of our favorite Caldecott Medal-winning books, Mirette on the High Wire, by Emily Arnold McCully. In Mirette on the High Wire, a young girl, Mirette, meets a mysterious and melancholy gentleman at her mother’s boarding house in 19th century Paris. Over time, Mirette learns that the melancholy boarder is none other than The Great Bellini- the greatest tightrope performer in the world. But Bellini has developed a debilitating fear of the wire and has thus removed himself from the spotlight to practice his craft in seclusion. Curious and brave Mirette immediately becomes obsessed with learning to walk the wire herself, setting the course for her and Bellini to work together to overcome their anxieties and fears, both of the physical act of tightrope walking and the mental gymnastics required to perform at such great heights.

While my daughter is 7 years old and loves children’s theatre, I was still a little concerned about how she would handle a true theatre production as they tend to be longer and not geared specifically toward children. But to my delight, she loved it! She was able to follow the storyline based on our experience with the book, and the cast of characters- acrobats, a juggler, a mime, opera singer, and ballerina- kept her enraptured for the entirety of the performance. It was very special to both of us to see a young girl not much older than my daughter practice and excel at something deemed “dangerous.” The entire performance spoke to her love of adventure and daring.

Speaking of daring young girls, let’s talk about the star of the play, Mirette, for a minute. Young Emma Grace Freeman shone so brightly as Mirette that neither my daughter nor I could tear our eyes away from her. Emma Grace absolutely owned the stage with her beautiful voice, refined acting skills, and incredible presence. I loved that my daughter was able to identify not only with a strong female character, but also with a brave and talented real-life girl.

The Lyric Stage adaptation of Mirette was an absolute delight. The show has finished its run at The Majestic, but Lyric has two upcoming shows in their Wonder of Women season that I know we’ll go see. First up is Abyssinia, based on the Joyce Carol Thomas book Marked by Fire, which runs February 14-16, 2020. Then hold on to your slippers and get ready for Cinderella in June 2020! My daughter lit up with excitement when she heard the announcement that Cinderella is coming to her favorite theatre. And so did I! We’ll see you there!