Monday, December 31, 2012

...a little high...

Remember when I posted about musical theater and how much I loved going to see Les Mis and the Lion King? Well, this weekend has been freaking amazing in my little world.

If you haven't seen Wicked or Les Mis (in movie form) yet, I should probably make a ***spoiler alert*** now. Although, I am not really giving anything away, it's a ***just in case*** kind.

Also, I have to say that I feel a little guilty that Dave was taking on full parental duties two night in a row so that I could go out...but, I think I've been pretty good to him over the years and two nights in a row is a pretty rare never occurring thing for me, so I'll just soak it up this time.

So, Saturday night was my first time seeing Wicked. I had prepared myself for it a teeny bit by listening to the soundtrack ahead of time, and I kind of had an idea that it was a little more light hearted than I had maybe originally thought. And truth be told, I don't know that I have ever had a real love for the Wizard of Oz, and seeing Wicked was something that I had wanted to do because I had only heard amazing things about it. In anticipation though, and because it was conveniently timed, and because my niece happened to be playing a munchkin, I took the girls to see a high school performance of The Wizard of Oz and they loved it. And so did I. And we wanted to see it again. So we watched the movie, and watched it again. (Side note: kind of interesting that as a parent your appreciation of things becomes so much different!) And then came Saturday. And Oh. My. Gosh. It was amazing. Like give me the chills, totally surprised me, made me laugh, made me say "wow" out loud on several occasions type of amazing. I know several people who have gone, and I knew that it would explain some things from Oz, but I was still so surprised and excited to see all of the little things (LOVED the socks) and explanations that really tied it all together. (I was actually kind of giddy when I'd figure something out. Like the little kid type giddy when they figure out something for the first time.) And what amazing writers and talented individuals. I rarely get that "I want to see it again to see what I might have missed" feeling. But Wicked definitely did that for me. And I can't wait until my kids are old enough to understand and appreciate it for all of its worth. And hear them singing songs and quoting like they do now. (Which, I am currently in love with hearing them sing "We're off to see the Wizard, the wonderful Wizard of Oz" while skipping out to the car. :))

And then came Sunday night. Katie and I always try to plan date nights around our birthdays, and it just so happened that Katie's birthday fell close enough to the opening of Les Mis at the movies, so off we went. I had been in anticipation of this since I had seen it at the Fox. And I loved it there. But, I don't know that I truly GOT it until afterwards when I went back and read all of the date changes and listened to the soundtrack in my car, and re-visualized the entire thing in my head. And I was kind of in love with it even more. So, I was totally curious about how it would play out differently
on the big screen.  It. Was. Amazing.  In a completely different way.  When I am in the theater, I really try to get good seats.  But lets be honest, good seats still don't allow you to see the things that you can see on the zoomed in big screen!  I guess I can best explain it by saying in the theater I had an appreciation for the characters.  On the big screen I had a better appreciation of the emotions.  And that still really doesn't explain it.  It was just...different.  But still, amazing.  The big screen version gave the details that you can't get in theater without reading a synopsis.  It's not like they flash up on the stage that the setting is France in 1815.  I did feel like things were a teeny bit out of sequence, but it still flowed perfectly.  Anne Hathaway as Fantine was SOOOO good, and her character was more developed than I remembered.  (I didn't actually think she gave in to prostitution at the theater, and didn't realize that she had sold her teeth.)  And the horribleness and filth that they lived in was much more apparent.  I also think that the casting director was spot on with Hugh Jackman and Russell Crowe.  I didn't love the casting for Eponine, (I couldn't get a vision of someone else out of my head), but she did a great job, and she happened to sing my favorite song perfectly!  I sang the songs in my head and thoroughly enjoyed every second.  AND, I made it all the way to the end, when Fantine comes to get Valjean, before I shed a tear.  Although, if I hadn't known what was going to happen through the entire thing, I'd have been a sobbing mess, like the girl next to Katie (that she was NOT happy with!) 

So, overall, in case you didn't catch this, I love, love, loved them both!

So, that's my high.  Great weekend.  Great company.  Great productions.  And I loved every minute!

1 comment:

  1. I saw Les Mis at the theater years ago, and basically cried through the entire thing. I can't wait to see the movie. And I have been wanting to see Wicked ever since I read the book a couple of years ago.

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