Wicked Fun

Saturday was one of those days we've been counting down to for months. Back in June, I found out the touring company of "Wicked" was stopping in Nashville. I informed Handiman that he needed to find a way to buy 3 tickets. I didn't care what he had to sell or how many days we didn't get to eat, we were going.

You've probably figured out by now that I'm all about "life experiences". Of course, I want my daughter to be well educated and I'm glad that she's interested in softball. And I'm grateful that she's enjoyed taking dance & piano lessons. But I know that at the end of her life she'll remember and appreciate the special moments like seeing her first Broadway stage musical with her parents more than she will any spelling test grade she ever got.

Granted, at the age of eight she's already experienced more in her life than I had by the age of 30. She's walked across the Golden Gate Bridge, been acknowledged by Miley Cyrus on a movie set and skipped school for a Jonas Brother's concert. And I love that for her. But I love even more that I've been right there with her enjoying every expression of amazement and wonder. Our family's made some sweet memories together and Saturday was no exception.

You must understand that The Ocho L-O-V-E-S "The Wizard of Oz". She's watched the movie a million times and is already in the planning stages to make it her next bedroom decorating theme. So, when I found out "Wicked" was coming to a city near us, I was all over it. Obviously I'm a big musical lover and although the HSM franchise is all kinds of awesome, I want The Ocho to have the full experience of watching something come to life on the stage.

Most of the theater musicals I've seen have been high school productions or community theater. But there was that one time when I was about 26, I went on a business trip to New York City with my boss. As a treat, she bought us tickets to see "Beauty and The Beast" on Broadway. It was an experience I will never forget. I was sitting 3rd row center and it was the most spectacular thing I'd ever seen. Hopefully, one day we can take The Ocho to Broadway but in the meantime, Broadway was coming to us and we weren't going to miss it.

Thankfully, we didn't have to sell anything or skip any meals. Our seats were more near the top of Dorothy's cyclone than the edge of the yellow brick road, but we were mesmerized nonetheless.

From the staging to the costumes to the music to the story to the flying monkeys, it far exceeded my expectations. And as much as I loved production, the look on The Ocho's face the moment Glinda made her grand entrance flying out in her giant bubble was worth the price of admission. Later she said it was way better than any movie she'd ever seen.....and a theater lover was born.

If you ever get the chance to see it, you must go. And if you can take an 8 year old girl with you, that would be even better.

Since she's already following in my footsteps in so many other areas of her life, I informed The Ocho yesterday that when she's older I'm going to enter her into a beauty pageant where she'll preform a Broadway classic for her talent. Thankfully, "Wicked" provides one with Ocho written all over it. And it happens to be her favorite. Go figure. : )