Tuesday, June 24, 2008

A Wicked Day Sixteen



June 22 - The curtain rose on Wicked promptly on Sunday at 3 p.m. Holding Internet-bought tickets that cost twice the face value of the seats, we sat in the very last row of the Gerswhin Theatre, just one seat from the far left end. Still we had a great few of the stage as the theatre seemed to be more tall than deep. Erin was transfixed. I was a little groggy after a pre-show drink--half of a half-pitcher of sangria (almost three glasses). After I woke up I enjoyed Act Two quite a bit, particularly when the story started to dovetail with the Wizard of Oz story that I know so well. I reviewed Act I with Erin at intermission and found out that I understood it better than I gave myself credit for. The staging, sound and lighting were spectacular as were the performances by the two stars playing Glinda the Good and Elphaba, who we know as the Wicked Witch of the West. Glinda's extreme perkiness (ala morning show diva Kelly Ripa) was annoying at times, but I guess that was part of her character.

Before the show we ate bagels for breakfast and a delicious lunch at a Brooklyn Thai restaurant--this seems to be one style of food that all of us enjoy. Kallie's flawless navigation brought us out of the subway less than a block from the theatre.

After the show we headed back to June's in Pennsylvania. The trip on New Jersey Transit went well, though it involved a lot of walking in Penn Station. We had to ask one question on the street to find our way into the downtown-bound train we needed to get back to Penn Station.

Back in Pennsylvania we found dinner five minutes before J.W. Dawson's in Langhorne, PA closed. The food was OK, though probably a little more expensive than we were looking for.

On Monday, we'll head back to Judy's in West Chester. I'll go to Delaware in the afternoon to meet with a couple of friends from college that I haven't seen in about 30 years. Kay and the girls will have an easy afternoon with still-unnamed "puppy".

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