WICKED!!!!

In case you don't know this about me, let me tell you a little secret: I LOVE MUSICALS.

Always have, probably always will.

To me, there is nothing quite like getting dressed up, entering a big theater, and seeing the glorious set, listening to the musicians warming up in the pit, and feeling the hum of energy that fills the air due to everyone's excitement, then being taken away on an incredible journey with music and laughter and tears and drama and all the rest when the lights go down and the prelude starts--it is magic.  Which is why I was ecstatic when Erik surprised me with tickets to see "Wicked" for Christmas!

I've been DYING to see "Wicked" for about 6 years (ever since it debuted on Broadway).  "Wicked" is based on the book Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West by Gregory McGuire, which tells the story of what happened before Dorothy showed up in Oz, and helps us understand why Elphaba, also known as the Wicked Witch of the West, is so bitter and, well, wicked by the time she's melted in the infamous bucket-of-water episode.

The music in "Wicked" is absolutely phenomenal, and I've been in love with the score for years now.  So to finally see it on stage was AMAZING!  The actress who played Galinda (later known simply as "Glinda") was HILARIOUS.  She is truly a woman who LOVES her job, and you could tell.  She did a fantastic job of bringing the comedy to the role in it's highest form, and her voice was phenomenal.  We were a little bit bummed because the actress who plays Elphaba (who played the role of Young Cosette in the ORIGINAL Broadway cast of "Les Miserables") was out last night and was replaced by a stand-in, but her stand-in was PHENOMENAL!  Seriously, everything about this show was incredible.  If you haven't seen it, you MUST, especially if you like musical theater even a little bit, and most especially if you, like most of us, love the story of The Wizard of Oz.

The energies were awesome, the harmonies were amazing, the voices were rich and vibrant, and the story is fantastic.  I was sad when the final curtain closed--it was that good.

Unfortunately I forgot to change out the batteries in my camera, so we couldn't get a single photo, so the memories will have to suffice.  :)  Erik took me out to an awesome dinner at the Olive Garden before the show, then offered to buy me a souvenir from the show (I got a "Wicked" mug!) at the end.  It was a glorious night.  Merry Christmas to me!