On Saturday, April 12, Countess of Canine, Countess Clucky, Queen SusieQ, Duchess Tooshy, Duchess of Dorchester, and Contessa Nigiri attended the Western United States production of HATS! in Roseville, California. In true Red Hat-style, the evening commenced with a shopping excursion in the old town district of Roseville. We found the most quaint consignment shop with various Red Hat apparel and trinkets. At 5:45PM, dinner was served in the lobby of the Roseville Theatre, and we were treated to a Red Hat-themed menu. Dinner was delicious! In the dining room, at the far-end of the table, was a flat-screen t.v. premiering a slideshow of local Red Hat chapters.

Once we shared an assortment of tasty desserts, we were ready for the musical. The performance reminded us all why we became Red Hats. The musical touched on such familiar and heart-felt topics as the loss of a significant other, the return to an "empty nest", and all the other reasons we seek communion with our fellow hatters. Many of us were moved to tears as the songs, dance, and emotions on stage touched our heart strings and resonated with themes in our own lives. We all truly enjoyed the production!

Prior to the start of the musical, we all removed our voluptuous hats as to not impede others' view of the play. Then, with the closing song "Put Your Red Hat On," the characters danced from the stage down into the audience below, encouraging all of us to put our red hats BACK on and to embrace those things it symbolizes...

We had a wonderful evening and encourage everyone who can to see HATS!