Backstage with Melanie

gather round girls…..it’s storytime!

once upon a time in a land far, far away 3 princesses went on a magical adventure to a land called duloc.  on their adventure they met a talking donkey, a not-so-ordinary princess and a big ugly ogre-who can SING his way around a swamp.   after meeting the fairytale folk, listening to the music and being amazed by the costumes, these princesses decided that duloc is…duloc is….duloc is the perrrrrfeeeeect plaaaaaace!

saturday morning aunt lani, my sister in law kelly and myself grabbed a flight to seattle for a truly perfect day.   we arrived in seattle, checked into our hotel and went straight to pike’s market on the waterfront.  this is the place that’s famous for the guys that throw fish over the counter and wrap them up.  i’ve never seen so much seafood in one spot!  not to mention the SIZE of everything.  one crawfish escaped and i thought it was going to eat the little girl in the front of the crowd.  she thought so too, based on her screaming.

you all know how much i love food.  pike’s market was the place for me!  the fresh fruit was so big and shiny, it looked fake.  once i got past the amazing food, i fell in love with the flowers.  i’ve never seen such rich colors and gorgeous bouquets.  i could have walked up and down those aisles all day.  obviously we got fish and chips for lunch.  i think that’s a requirement in seattle?  (once inside the city limits you are required to consume a certain amount of seafood before leaving, to avoid a surplus of fish on the street)  i was happy to help!

as we ate our way towards the theater, i got more and more excited.  once i could see the marquee i thought i was going to burst into song!  as usual lani and kelly kept me grounded and emotionally in control.  thanks girls.

we walked into the 5th ave theater and once i saw the creative souveniers, i was hooked.  after picking some up for the kiddies we headed to our seats.  i was so happy to see 6 yr old-60yr olds wearing the green shrek ears proudly throughout the theater.   the grand tier had a perfect view of the entire stage.  the orchestra pit was covered in big green twisty vines and the place stage was lit in different shades of green and brown.  a huge twisted tree stands in the center of the stage from floor to ceiling and if you watch really closely, you  can see a slug creeping across it ocassionally.  (i am pleased by such simple things)

as the lights go down and the orchestra starts playing, i am taken to the magical land of fairytale creatures and the smelly swamp of an ogre family.  the show runs almost 3hrs and i was in awe the entire time.  it is moving to broadway in november and will be a MONSTER hit!   seeing as it’s still in previews they may add or take away certain songs, change set designs or characters and try to shorten it a bit, so i hate to go on and on about certain things and then have them taken from the show.

so i’ll just say, “it’s a BIG, UGLY, OGRE-the top show!” from costumes to lyrics, i was believing every word.  shrek the movie was great at making fun of other movies.  shrek the musical tosses in a blend of humor from several broadway shows. totally brilliant!  “i’m making a mixed tape!”

at the matinee, i found myself trying so hard to catch every word because i didn’t want to miss anything!  the show was so great, we bought tickets to the evening performance too!  the second time around i had a feel for the music and was able to enjoy the show so much more.  it’s like getting a second helping of amazing food.  you already know what you’re in for, but you need a little more to be completely satisfied!

lord farquaad was one of my favorite surprises.  i’ve included a link to photos so you guys can check out the brilliant costumes.  as a person who’s made props, i kept asking myself, “how did they do that?”  over and over again.   the show was incredible, but meeting the cast afterwards was really the highlight of the trip.

next to kristin chenoweth,  sutton foster is my idol!!!!!  i’ve followed her career and adore her as a person and a performer.  she is a perfect fiona!  i laughed so hard during the scene where her and shrek are having a “bodily function” contest.  i can’t imagine “lifting one leg” night after night and being able to stay in character.  i’d fall off the stage laughing.

after a day full of great food, seeing shrek twice, meeting the amazing cast, i can say our fairytale had a happy ending.

if you are planning a trip to new york this fall, i’d suggest taking a trip to the swamp.  shrek’s bringing ugly back and you don’t want to miss it!

click to see entire Shrek album

here is a clip to a few of the songs.  the first one is my favorite.  it’s called : “i know it’s today”  it shows how fiona grows up in the tower with 3 different girls singing parts.  i think it will be the new “popular”  so cute and catchy.

“big bright beautful world” is the opening song and rocks!  i got chills when grown up shrek breaks onto the scene.

Melanie & Morgan at Capitol Theater

i fell in love with broadway shows when i was a teenager.  a few years ago, i realized how many of my friends see shows too and started putting together large groups for the shows that participate with broadway across america.  since then, i’ve shared my love for broadway with hundreds of people and introduced many more to this fantastic world!

when i received a green, black and white postcard in the mail i wasn’t sure what it was.  it had the above poster on it with the words reading:  pssssst…..you’re invited!   i immediately got goose bumps!

who wouldn’t want to attend the VIP WICKED brunch?  it’s a bit embarrassing, but we were so excited we showed up 45min. early!  i guess i drove a bit fast on the freeway.  my bad!

as we walked up the street, i could see the lime green table clothes and black witches hats in the lobby.  they’re “really sharp, don’t ya think?  you know BLACK, is this year’s PINK!”

i literally skipped through the cross walk to get to the theater, singing the entire way!

i was really surprised they had a brunch for wicked.  it’s not like they’ll have a hard time selling the show, right?!  believe it or not, there are actually people out there who have not heard of wicked!  I KNOW!  i thought it was a requirement in schools across america to learn about glinda and elphaba!

as we walked in the theater, i couldn’t contain my happiness.  yes! i actually did a little hop, skip, jump thing when i saw where we were sitting.  the entire stage was lit with green lights and they had set the chairs up ON THE STAGE!

we had the opportunity to hear from a producer of the show, have some Q & A,  then hear elphaba and galinda sing.  remember the “guh” is silent! when donna hit the last note of the “wizard and i” from two feet away, i almost burst into tears!  it was something i will never forget!  we also got to hear “for good” which is such a beautiful song.  the girls were so sweet to take photos afterwards and sign our books.  i hope we get to see them on tour in salt lake city.

coolest story ever!  this is the REAL glinda wand!  a girl who loved broadway (that wasn’t me!) was on the tv show deal or no deal.  glinda came on as part of a DEAL, offered her the wand, 3 walk-on parts in wicked on broadway, the grimmerie and tons of wicked swag!  oh! and 50,000 dollars!  YES! she took the deal and was kind enough to let us kiss, hold, caress and wave the wand!  “she really didn’t have to do that, but that’s what makes her so nice!”

YES! i am still wearing the black hat.  i could have had a BAT on my head that day and not cared.  i was so giddy, i kept saying, “NOTHING’S GONNA BRING ME DOWN”.

after a wicked fun morning, we even got swag on the way out!  it’s great to be part of the in crowd.  or should i say, “it’s great to be POP-YOU-OO-LER!”

can’t wait for this tour to arrive.  it’s gonna be TOTO-ally OZ-some!

one final NOTE: wicked WILL be made into a movie, but it’s 7 -10 years out.