Incredimom and I have this tradition. Instead of throwing Boy Wonder and Twinkletoes a big birthday party, we take them on a birthday trip. Sure, we could rent a bounce house and buy lots of pizza. But we don’t want to watch seventeen kids destroy our backyard. Been there, done that, NEVER AGAIN.

You’re just cheap.

It’s about creating memories, bonding experiences, quality time together as a family.

Still Cheap.

This year, Boy Wonder decided he could not miss Wandering Lantern Productions’ live shadowcast of Ghostbusters. It took place at the historic Redford Theatre in Detroit. Now, for those of you keeping track, that’s a five-hour drive from our house. Five. Hours. With two kids in a car.

What could go wrong?

The Road Trip

The drive up wasn’t bad. Our kids are seasoned road warriors by now. So, the only person who had a meltdown was me.

Ohio, I love you, but not your drivers.

Despite the best efforts of Ohio drivers, everyone in our car got along fine. Boy Wonder even called it “family bonding time,” which was both adorable and slightly concerning. Are we not bonding enough at home? Should I feel guilty?

You should definitely feel guilty.

The drive home was a different story. Hour four hit us like a ton of bricks. Or more accurately, like a series of increasingly desperate knock-knock jokes. The kids had exhausted every form of entertainment. Tablets were dead. Nintendo was switched out. We’d played I Spy until there was nothing left to spy. Read all the books we brought. We’d listened to the Five Nights At Freddy’s Security Breach soundtrack three times.

Three times? Try five.

And then came the knock-knock jokes. Boy Wonder and Twinkletoes were delirious, giggling at punchlines that made absolutely no sense. And then, from the backseat, in that sweet three-year-old voice:

“Knock, knock Daddy!”

“Who’s there?”

“Go f*** yourself!”

Time stopped. Incredimom’s eyes went wide as she white-knuckled the steering wheel. And Boy Wonder, went into damage control mode.

“PUMPKIN GUTS, TWINKLETOES! You were supposed to say PUMPKIN GUTS!”

He was panicking. Actual panic. Because clearly, this was going to be pinned on him. Big brother takes the fall again.

At least she’s learning vocabulary.

The Main Event: Bustin’ Makes Me Feel Good

Let me back up to why we drove five hours in the first place. The Redford Theatre in Detroit is this gorgeous historic venue. Wandering Lantern Productions was putting on a live shadowcast performance of the original 1984 Ghostbusters film. For the uninitiated, a shadowcast refers to actors performing the movie in real-time on stage while the film plays behind them. It’s like dinner theater, but with more proton packs and significantly less dinner. But there was Ecto-Cooler!

And significantly more fun.

Outside the theater, we were greeted by Mr. Stay Puft Marshmallow Man himself, towering over the marquee like he was about to destroy downtown Detroit. Twinkletoes was equal parts amazed and terrified. Boy Wonder? Full-on fanboy mode. We got pictures with Slimer, the Ecto-1, and the actual Ghostbusters Detroit crew who partnered with Wandering Lantern for the show.

And can we talk about the Ecto-1 for a second? This thing was parked right outside like it was just casually waiting for a paranormal emergency. Boy Wonder spent ten minutes examining every detail while I stood there thinking about how much our hatchback pales in comparison.

It really does.

The Highly Haunted Zone

Now, the first few rows of the theater were designated as the “highly haunted zone” with maximum ghostly interaction. And where did we sit? As close to the front row as we could, obviously. Because Boy Wonder doesn’t do anything halfway. The kid went all in.

The performance was absolutely incredible. The cast was gut-bustingly funny, hitting every line with perfect timing. You could tell what a But it was the special effects that really sold it. When the actress playing Dana Barrett started levitating off the bed, Twinkletoes grabbed Incredimom’s arm. When eggs started popping out of the carton on stage, Boy Wonder gasped out loud. These weren’t Hollywood special effects, mind you. This was live theater magic happening right in front of us.

You’re crying. At a Ghostbusters show. Really?

Maybe a little.

Boy Wonder even got “slimed”. Actual slime/marshmallow goop. In his hands. Which he carried around like it was the Holy Grail for the rest of the night. He also scored an event t-shirt with this fantastic artwork that he immediately declared his “new favorite shirt ever” before he’d even tried it on.

The Verdict

Look, I’m not going to lie to you. Is a ten-hour round-trip drive with two kids for a ninety-minute show a bit much?

Absolutely.

But watching Boy Wonder’s face light up during the performance? Hearing all four of us laugh together as the Ghostbusters took down Gozer? Creating a memory that doesn’t involve him blowing out candles while seventeen sugar-amped children scream in our backyard?

Totally worth it.

Even if the drive home did teach our three-year-old some colorful vocabulary.

Pumpkin guts. Sure.

If you’re in the Detroit area and Wandering Lantern Productions brings this show back around, grab your tickets. And bring the kids. It’s rated PG, it’s hilarious, and it’s the kind of thing they’ll actually remember when they’re older.

Unlike that bounce house party where they ate too much pizza and threw up on the trampoline.

That was one time.

Still counts.

• For more information about Wandering Lantern Productions and their upcoming shows, check out wanderinglanternproductions.com
• The Redford Theatre is a historic gem worth visiting even without a shadowcast: redfordtheatre.com
• For a review on our hotel/waterpark stay in Detroit, click here.