Where the heck have I been? I wish I knew the answer to that question. I'm truly afraid that the answer lies somewhere along the I-10 Freeway between Santa Monica and Miracle Mile, where my soul dies every day. Twice.
Woah. Enough with the melodrama already, right?
Today I'm going to talk about something that inspires me to be a better person, and wear too much makeup, and burst into song and dance in my kitchen with only my poor mother and sisters to spectate and laugh.
Musicals. Oh, how I love them. I will pay a lot of money to see a speck on a stage dance about and sing their heart out and hear the orchestra swell. I've seen a few in my short 23 (!) years (still not over that one, folks) including, but not limited to:
Oh what a night. Oh!
If I were a rich man...
And a darling dancing boy.
Last night I was graced once again by one of my faves...
Now THIS, folks, is a show. There's drama, comedy, romance, some fantastic music, and magic. And a green girl. It's fantastic.
I dooooo have one small complaint. I think I was spoiled the first time I saw this show, because I saw the Megan Hilty version of Glinda- and she is just too perfect. Now, in defense of Kristin Chenoweth, I never saw her perform Glinda- so I will resist calling Megan Hilty the best Glinda EVER, but I think she is just a hoot and a half. The woman must drink 4 Red Bulls every night before showtime...
Last night's Glinda was good... but she wasn't this good. Ah, well. Can't win them all. Still a fabulous show. If you are in LA, make it a priority to go see it. You won't regret it.
And this brings me to my favorite musical of all time...
Oy, vey. I shouldn't even get started, as I'm tearing up just thinking about it. Maybe it is the first love phenomena, because I saw Phantom at a young age in San Francisco, but this show has a firm grip on my heart, my emotions, and my tear ducts. I find the Phantom to be the most tragic hero of all time, and he just gets me.
I saw this show this past year in Austin, and the poor friends I dragged with me had to witness me at my most emotional sappiness. It's the music, I tell you. It just moves you in such inexplicable ways.
If you haven't seen Phantom and plan on seeing it in, oh, I don't know, 10 years when it comes back to the stage (an outright travesty, I tell you!) then you might want to stop reading. Because I'm about to re-live the most tragic and melodramatic moments. Sorry I'm not sorry.
Most tear inducing scene- Act 1: As Christine and Raoul croon to each other on the roof, the Phantom looks on, heartbroken, and sings... "I gave you my music- made your song take wing... And now, how you've repaid me, denied me and betrayed me..." and then he sobs. And let me tell you- when a masked figure sobs over his lost love, I sob too.
As if this isn't enough... Act II really punches you in the stomach when you're down. I'm not going to post the video, because it's 11 minutes long and I don't want to admit that I actually spent 11 minutes on this...
Anyway- just watch "Final Lair" when you have a spare moment and want to have your heart ripped out and danced on. When Christine begs of the Phantom to have mercy on Raoul, he shouts in reply, in agony, "The world didn't have mercy on me!"
Oh, come ON. By the time the poor, tragic Phantom belts out, "You alone can make my song take flight- It's over now, the music of the night..." I'm one big fat blubbering mess wondering why I like to torture myself in this way.
I think there might be only one musical more tragic-
And I'll be waiting anxiously in line the day this lovely comes to town.
Because there is nothing as uplifting as listening to the haunting melody of "On my Own."
And I shall ask again... why do I do this to myself?
