A Night in Chelsea

We just got home from seeing the Jeff Daniels play (with the long, ungainly title of) Office Christmas Party: Grinch in Fight With Rudolph, Police Called. It was at the Purple Rose Theatre in Chelsea, a venue I'd never been to before. It only took me 34 years to see a performance here, which is how long it's been in operation.

I should make it clear that though Jeff Daniels wrote the play, he doesn't act in it or direct.

I'll cut to the chase by saying the play is quite funny. It would take too long to explain the zany plot. I'll leave that to you. 

The Purple Rose Theatre is much smaller and more intimate than I expected. It only seats about 168 and there are only about five rows on three sides that surround the performance area.

When we arrived in Chelsea, unbeknownst to us, it was just as their Holiday parade was starting and we were terrified we wouldn't find a place to park or eat (but amazingly, we grabbed a spot in the public parking lot next to the theatre. It was a minor miracle).

I had the feeling we'd stepped into the middle of a Hallmark Christmas movie as we walked towards downtown. Festive people crowded along Main Street (yes, it's actually called Main Street) for the parade. We watched the parade for a few minutes before slipping into a place called Cleary's Pub--with ersatz Irish decor--for a pre-performance dinner. The Hallmark Christmas movie feeling did not subside.

We finished eating just in time to stroll the short distance to the Purple Rose.

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