Since we didn't end up going to dance classes yesterday, we wanted to make sure we got to some today. On today's docket were definitely some dance styles I had not tried before: 60's Go-Go dancing and Burlesque. They were both taught by the same young woman with a great, sassy style and a fun attitude. I loved her as an instructor. The Go-Go class was a lot of fun and though the dance routine wasn't difficult, it was a good aerobic workout that didn't feel like work. That's a plus in my book. The second class took us both significantly out of our comfort zones. I'm not so sure how sexy or sensual either of us looked or felt, but I still have to say I was pretty proud of us for branching out. I'm pretty sure that in order for me dancing in Burlesque style to have the intended effect, I would need A LOT of practice (and even then, maybe still not so much of the intended effect).
Not long after we made plans for me to stay at Lisa's this weekend, she noticed that Wicked would be in town not too far from her. I had also seen this musical before, but I was definitely up for seeing it again. Lisa hadn't seen it yet. After our dance classes, we headed to the theater-a much more regal and sophisticated one than yesterday's. The two leads in the musical really had phenomenal voices and definitely were able to make those iconic parts their own. Such an incredible performance! Of the three times I've seen this show, this was definitely my favorite.
When we first heard the Broadway in Fresno schedule for this season last fall, the show everyone was talking about was Wicked. It was one of the biggest reasons we decided to buy season tickets this year. Bree's been wanting me to take her to see the show in San Francisco or L.A. for a few years now, but finances and timing kept me from being able to do so. Doug and I were also thrilled at the idea of getting to see the show, and eagerly anticipated it all year long.
The show did not disappoint. It's a big, beautiful spectacle, with the set almost as much a character as, well, the characters. The sets were just gorgeous! The costuming was amazing as well. We actually saw it on a night that the understudy for Glinda (or Galinda) performed, but the talented actress was spot-on; I did not miss having the principal actress there at all. The actress, as well as the actress who portrayed Elphaba, fully inhabited their characters, breathing vivacity and humor and conflict into their performances. I loved Elphaba's droll sense of humor and felt her pain at being ostracized. I adored Glinda's sass and spunk. 
I was a little concerned that the plot line might make it difficult to have sympathy for Glinda, who is somewhat vacuous in prep school. How could they manage to make her likeable by the time Wicked's plotline caught up to the adored character she is in The Wonderful Wizard of Oz? Similarly, how would they manage to make the heroine of Wicked fit comfortably with the image of the Wicked Witch of the West from the beloved classic? Suffice it to say, they did. Rather, Gregory MacGuire, author of Wicked, did. The author, whose book was adapted for the musical, did in fact manage to draw the connections and parallels between his imagined precursor to Baum's world of Oz in clever and sometimes unexpected ways. The production manages to sift through all the meticulous detail of the novel and pare it down to a mere three hours' production that brings its audience beautifully and seamlessly by curtain fall to the the beginning of the story that we all know and love. 
Bree and Kathryn 
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