Backstage with Melanie

as i was going through emails making sure i got everyone on my list for WICKED group tickets, i came across this email i sent out after my trip to denver to see wicked several years ago.  if you LIKE wicked and know the soundtrack really well, you’ll enjoy the read.

dear old shiz,  (i mean friends),

just thought you’d like an update of my WICKED trip to denver.  it felt like ONE SHORT DAY, but it was filled with a LIFETIME OF FUN.

for those of you who don’t know, my WICKED little friends and i went to denver this past weekend.  it was WONDERFUL.

we flew out friday afternoon.  suzy was practically strip searched at the airport.  (head’s up: avoid taking fingernail scissors in purse, wearing tons of silver jewelry and silver accessories)   while they searched through everything of suzy’s, kelly and i stood off to the side laughing and saying, “glad I’M NOT THAT GIRL”

we arrived in denver, rented our car, (afterall, not everyone can travel in a BUBBLE!) and found the hotel without problems.  then…..SOMETHING BAD was happening in OZ. (i mean our room)  we were just talking when suzy opened her mouth and screamed, “OH”  she just sat their frozen with her mouth gaping open and her hands in the air.  after what seemed like forever, she said, “i locked my suitcases and left my key to open them on my key ring at home!”   once again, kelly and i started laughing and said, “glad I’M NOT THAT GIRL” (reprise)

the hotel couldn’t help us so we set out on a MARCH OF THE WITCH HUNTERS (i mean bolt cutters).  in the parking lot we met a guy that worked at the hotel, named chris.  he was WONDERFUL, we called him WONDERFUL.

we all loaded up in his car with suzy’s luggage in tow and headed to ace hardware.  chris gave us a tour of the city on the way which was really fun.  the guy at ace was NOT wonderful.  he refused to cut the locks unless suzy bought the bolt cutters!  $20.00 later we were on our way back to the hotel with open luggage and a really pissed off gay guy driving us.  (did i mention chris was gay?  that’s why we all hopped in the car with him.  cute.  dressed amazing and knows how to accessorize! not to mention he was so fun to chat with)

anyway, chris is a big wig at the hotel and was furious at the way the ace guy treated us, so he said he would get him fired.  he talked about customer service and how NO GOOD DEED goes unpunished.  he swore the entire way back to the hotel and couldn’t believe what a jerk the ace guy was.   it was quite the colorful car ride.

we raced back to the hotel, got dressed to the nines and made it to WICKED before the dragon clock struck 8:00pm.   THANK GOODNESS!!!!!!!

my review of WICKED?   better than i expected and i expected A LOT!  everyone had said it was awesome, good, best show, yada, yada, yada.  no one told me how FUNNY it was.  we laughed, we cried, we loved it!  for those of you who HAVE seen the show, how come you never mentioned how funny it was?  that was the biggest surprise for me.  maybe that’s why you didn’t tell me, so i’d have some surprises.  galinda (the GUH is silent) was sooooooo funny.   elphaba delivered her lines with perfect comedic timing.  pause, pause……wait for it……….BLONDE!!!!!   so great!

going into it i THOUGHT i knew every spoiler, song, storyline, etc.  the dialogue in between the songs was brilliant.  it was all new material to me and i loved every minute of it.

the next day was just as fun.  we went shopping all day long.  i bought my first pair of knee high leather boots!  after shopping we went back to the hotel and got dressed up to go out to dinner.  (like i’d ever do that at home!)

as we walked down the street to dinner all dressed up, i kept thinking…..WHAT IS THIS FEELING, so sudden and new?  then it dawned on me…..CONFIDENT.  whey you are dressed like that and look good on the outside, you feel good on the inside.  i felt like i could have done anything at that moment without failing.  including DEFYING GRAVITY (i think i floated down the street instead of walked.)  i was DANCING THROUGH LIFE (or at least on the way to dinner) and loving it!

i felt beautiful, classy, rich and POPULAR!  i think i’ll start wearing that outfit more often.  grocery shopping, soccer games, pta meetings.

we went to dinner at the CHEESECAKE FACTORY-duh!  yes, it was delicious and yes we went twice.  we went for dinner and then brunch the next morning.  double-duh!

we raced to the airport and missed our flight because our check in agent was a jerk.  if he would have been a SENTIMENTAL MAN at all he would have checked us in quickly and we could have made our flight, but he said we didn’t have a chance of making it and he refused to even try.  RUDE!  guess he doesn’t realize NO ONE MOURNS THE WICKED.   get nice=receive nice.

FINALE:  after two days of happiness, we spent the entire day on standby at the airport.  let’s say we were SUPPOSED to be on stand by but they forgot to roll us over from full flight to full flight.  so everyone else kept getting on the flights before us.  when we realized this, customer service took over and we ended up on a different carrier to come home.  we didn’t get home until 8pm!

the hardest part of the day was dragging $150.00 worth of cheesecake from gate to gate all day long.  we each bought a cheesecake to bring home and they are frozen and heavy!  we even had several offers to buy them from us!

even with the little bump in the end of our fun, it was all FOR GOOD and i’ll never forget it.

DRAW CURTAINS (end of story)…….THE WIZARD AND I have some shopping to do!

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.