Christmas in Texas

Days
'Til
Christmas!

Only in Texas...

Ring in the Holidays with Madrigal!

Makin' a List...

• Busy as Bees in Texas
• Christmas Trees All Year
• Texas Holiday Events
• Holiday Madrigal Dinner
• Christmas, Old West Style

It's mid-September and that means auditions for the annual Madrigal Dinner at University of Texas are taking place in Austin. The medieval production has become a tradition in our family in recent years due to our daughter, Dana, an aspiring actress. But the Madrigal dinner has been part of university holiday tradition since 1979.

The term madrigal dates back to a form of lyrical poem originating in the 15th-16th century. More precisely in the case of UT's Madrigal dinner, it is a re-creation of renaissance feasts, including a story with many voice parts, with no instrument accompaniment. The story, performed in several acts, is typically written and performed by the actors and directors. Each act is followed by a dinner course, and like the rich timbre of voice in the acappella choir, every course in the meal is an experience you'll savor.

The meal, served family style, starts with bread…oh the bread! So beautiful, so fine! (no, I'm not on the Atkins Diet.) The next course is the wassail, warm, sweet, and tart as a Granny Smith apple. After our first Madrigal dinner, wassail became a tradition in our holidays. The next course is a delightful green salad, followed by the main course which is usually a choice of chicken or beef. Vegetarian entrees are also available, but it's best to specify this preference when you buy your ticket. Finally comes the fabulous, glorious bread pudding. Now if you think you don't like bread pudding, you'll think again after trying this one. It's the closest you'll ever get to heaven on this earth. No exaggeration. There's simply nothing like it. It's unique and completely glorious.

The meal, as I said, is wonderful, but don't come to the Madrigal dinner hungry! Because the meal is served in courses interspersed with play acts, it takes all evening to get the full meal. It's best to come with a bit of an appetite, but not famished. There's not much of a wine list, but the quality is acceptable if your palate isn't ultra discerning.

I try to tone down my usual hyena-like laughter and behave myself at the dinner because medieval rules of conduct apply and one of the actors (especially if they are family or friends trying to mess with you!) might decide you need to go to the stocks! It's all in good fun though, but it could cause you to get the smallest portion of bread pudding—so, it's best to behave!

Show dates for this year's Madrigal Dinner will be November 16-19 at the Texas Union Ballroom (The Texas Union is on Guadalupe) in Austin, Texas. I will update this article as ticket information becomes available. Check this site, or the Madrigal website often because tickets go FAST. Do not delay purchasing them if you want to experience this delightful way of ringing in the holidays.

If you attend on Friday, the 18th, I hope you'll drop by and say hello. I'll be the red-headed woman laughing like a hyena...you know, the one in the stocks.