Perfection? Yes, perfection. A night at the theater has the potential of approaching absolute perfection. The reason is simple. Theater is something that just about everyone can identify with, get lost in and enjoy. A live theatrical performance is like a movie on performance enhancing drugs. You'll be effortlessly drawn into a live show like water is soaked up by sand.



Obviously the better the production, the better the night will be. Las Vegas or Broadway shows are the creme de la creme. What many people don't know is that a wide array of Broadway plays tour across North America. So if you live in or around a big city, check online to see if one is currently showing near you. You can also learn which shows are scheduled to stop in your city in the near future. Some of the most popular Broadway hits are now on tour and showing in large cities like Boston, Philadelphia, Los Angeles, Chicago, Seattle, San Francisco, Toronto or Vancouver.

Men and women can enjoy plays and musicals equally. Theater is not exclusively a feminine affair, contrary to what some may think. I know a dock worker who is a "man's man". He used to make fun of musicals, claiming that going to a show was not very masculine. He then attended The Jersey Boys musical, a hot new Broadway play about Frankie Vallie and The Four Seasons, and found himself deeply moved by the experience and has since been two more times.

If you want to do something unique and memorable for an evening with a friend or date, the theater is the perfect idea. You can plan your entire night around the show. If the show you're going to is some distance away, that's fine, since most shows last long enough to be worth the travel. Maybe get drinks or dinner beforehand. Then head to the theater and take in the venue. Many theaters are gorgeous, with ornate architecture and interesting and unique configurations. Grab a drink at the bar in the lobby and then find your seats. Get comfortable, strap yourself in and ready yourself for an experience like no other.

When the lights go down and the curtains go up, you and your theater-mate will be magically transported to another place and time and you'll forget about anything that was on your mind before. Movies have a way of doing this too, but professional plays achieve this in a much more profound way. The music is live, with the orchestra pit directly in front of you. The actors are right there, generally a stone's throw away. And the changing lights and stage sets have a way of rapidly altering your consciousness in a way that moves you deliberately through a story to achieve the most intense experience as possible.

There's usually an intermission when you can go for a stretch out in the lobby, briefly gather yourself and discuss Act I. Then back to the show for the Act II and the finale.

So if you want to have a unique evening out with a friend or date, a time that you'll both equally enjoy and remember with a smile, buy a couple of tickets to the theater and let a cathartic show whisk you away for a night you won't forget. Indeed, a night at the theater can be a perfect evening for anyone.