"Wicked" weekend

This past weekend Lacey and I were able to get away for some time alone. Aside from some date nights, we hadn't done that since....well, I can't really remember the last time we didn't wake up and start tending to children. It was good for us to get away. We decided that we wanted to see Wicked, the musical about what happened in Oz before Dorothy arrived. I was actually looking forward to it, and after seeing it I wasn't at all disappointed. If I could change anything it would be the title, but I'm not sure what I would call it.

It's amusing to listen closely to the music to hear short homages paid to music from The Wizard of Oz. For example, in the song "The Wizard and I", when Elphaba sings "Unlimited, my future..." she sing them with with the same notes (in a different pattern) as "Somewhere Over the Rainbow". Stephen Schwartz did a great job of creating music to set both the rhythm and the mood of the story. It's amazing that he was able to shift my feelings about one of the most reviled characters from my childhood from fear to empathy. I thought the actors were well cast, yet after hearing the Broadway recording (with Idina Menzel as Elphaba) and hearing the reviews of Ana Gasteyer (who is reprising her role as Elphaba in a limited engagement on Broadway), I would like to see the show performed by others. Maybe I'll be fortunate enough to do so.

One other thing that we did was eat at Shula's Steak House. It is one of my three favorite chain steakhouses. I decided to try to join the 48 oz. club (an award given to those who are brave enough to tackle the restaurant's 48 oz. porterhouse). I am now a member of the club. For my efforts I get my name on their website and an autographed photo of Don Shula. Was it worth it? Probably not, but at least I won't leave the restaurant wishing I had tried it any more.

Unfortunately we forgot to bring our camera to document most of the evening (but since photography was not allowed in the theatre it's just as well...I would have only gotten in trouble).