When asked what Taylor Wendt wanted to do to celebrate her 15th birthday and to keep her mind off her upcoming heart surgery in October, she instantly said she wanted to see “Hairspray” at the Chanhassen Dinner Theater.
“She went previously went to the Chanhassen Dinner Theater her choir class and she loved it,” Wendt’s mother Stephanie Grashorn said of her daughter’s decision. “And Hairspray is one of her favorite movies.”
The Littlefork-Big Falls freshman has a condition called supraventricular tachycardia. SVT is a general term that refers to any rapid heart rhythm originating above the ventricular tissue. While the condition is non-life threatening, Wendt was scheduled the day after the dinner theater performance to have surgery to eliminate or lessen the problem.
Grashorn said to make the dinner theater experience even more special for her daughter, she contacted the Chanhassen Dinner Theater and arranged to have the performance dedicated to Wendt.
“They took care of everything,” Grashorn said of dinner theater employees. “They arranged to have a sign made up for her, there was a cake and flowers at the table, we got a tour of all of the theaters, it was so much fun.”
Grashorn said Wendt was unaware that the show was going to be dedicated to her and laughed as she recalled Wendt first entering the theater and walking right by the sign with Wendt’s name on it.
“Finally when we called her back the third time, she saw the sign. She was surprised,” Grashorn added.
Grashorn added that on top of having “the best seat in the house,” the Chanhassen Dinner Theater director came to their table as well as several cast members.
“Taylor was like a celebrity that night,” she said. “I was crying the whole time. It was a wonderful evening.”
Grashorn said the performance worked to distract her daughter from the next day’s surgery, which was unsuccessful in alleviating the condition.
“For now, Taylor is learning different techniques to help control the condition without taking medication,” Grashorn said.
Grashorn concluded that several cast members still keep in contact with Wendt and she is so grateful that Wendt was able to have the experience she called “the best night of her life.”
