The NSO took the Filene Center at Wolf Trap by storm on Saturday, well by twister to be exact! In another fine evening of the NSO lending it’s talents to Wolf Trap, adults and children alike got to experience the true magic of the cinema. The large screens descended and the evening was set. With Conductor, Emil de Cou at the helm, the NSO treated the audience to the best way to see a classic!

For those who aren’t familiar with this type of event, I will explain. The National Symphony Orchestra graciously leaves their air-conditioned home at The Kennedy Center in Washington D.C. and fills the stage and open-air of Wolf Trap’s Filene Center with beautiful performances of classic music, while the movie from which the music is from is played on giant screens for the audience to watch. If you have never experienced this before, you MUST join me later in the season when the NSO performs, “West Side Story”!

I’m sure that I don’t need to explain “The Wizard of Oz” but this way of viewing it is truly like being a kid again! Little girls were dressed as Dorothy and even some women sported their best ruby slippers! Everyone was all smiles before and a happy troupe of girls sang, “Happy Birthday” to to their friend who celebrated with this as her party…what a great idea!!

As the MGM lion roared and the NSO played the Overture, everyone seemed electrified. I had a grown man in the row in front of me that I thought might burst and it was great! It was like none of had seen the movie before and we all got to enjoy it together. People clapped when Toto escaped from the basket and ran back to the house and laughed out loud when Dorothy uttered the famous line, “Toto, I’ve a feeling we’re not in Kansas anymore”. There were hisses when the Wicked Witch of the West appeared and Uncle Henry even garnered a laugh or two! Of course, the audience exploded with cheers when the Wicked Witch melted. This was such a tremendous experience! This is one of my all-time favorite films and just being able to see on a big screen is cool, but to add the NSO and getting the full flavor of how films used to be viewed is awe-inspiring. Wolf Trap has several events like this throughout their season and all are worth the trip, whether you are close or far.

Overall Experience: A+, this a family-friendly event or a great date night!

Venue: A+, this is an excellent way to expose kids to the NSO and live music and films.

go to www.wolftrap.org for the remainder of the Filene Center season and be sure to see the NSO perform “West Side Story”

About The Author

Denise A.

Theatre/Concert Reviewer

A member of the Actors’ Center since 2000, she is a professionally trained actor, singer and dancer, she has graced stages all over the country with various musicals and plays, receiving many awards and accolades. She was an award-nominated host for Eclipse Magazine TV and has also been seen on such shows as The Mickey Mouse Club, Homicide: Life on the Streets, and Ally McBeal. She is a professional magician’s assistant, who has worked with Carnegie and Bradley Fields. Denise has also done her share behind the scenes with many projects. Aside from choreography, she’s been doing costuming and makeup (award winning) for more than a decade. She has been a writer since middle school, mostly short stories and poetry. As English was a favorite subject always, she easily took to journalism courses in high school, followed by college. Her writing has spanned many different markets. In recent years, she has been co-authoring an original musical that she hopes gets to see the light of day 🙂

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