Tishie's Travels: Hakuna Matata

I waited years and years and years to catch this on Broadway...

As cameras were prohibited in the theater, and I'm a very obedient theater goer, I got this photo from here.*

And that doesn't even show the elephants! Aaaah!

I remember as a college freshman, I had the late, great Doreen Fernandez as a teacher. She had just come back from NY where she saw the Broadway production, and this master of words was speechless! She had no words to describe the spectacle that is The Lion King. While it didn't make me cry the way Wicked did, the set design made my jaw drop. I wouldn't call it elaborate--more of...ingenious. You have to see it to know what I mean!

My favorite character was Rafiki! Although my brother and I did have our photo taken with Mufasa afterwards--for a price. Hey, it was for charity. *stage whisper* And my brother paid for it. (Thanks, JC!)

(Top) With Mufasa! Bro just took a photo of the Polaroid shot using his iPhone, hence the blurriness. (Above) Me, horsing--er, gazelle-ing?--around at the lobby. Dress from Memo, turtleneck from Mango, tights from Lucky Doll, boots from Topshop.

I also kind of wanted to see Promises, Promises (heard it's hilarious), just so I could see and hear my darling Kristin Chenoweth. Next time!

*No copyright infringement intended.

Tishie's Travels: Defying Gravity

Wonderful. I call it "wonderful."

And if you've seen Wicked, you'd probably sing the same!

I don't often find myself on Broadway or in the West End, so when I'm there, I make the most of it by going for the big, splashy shows. This time, I was dead set on seeing Wicked, a show my friends have been raving about for years. Wicked is based on a book by Gregory Maguire--something I had already read and which I totally did not enjoy! I felt it was a little too political and dark for my taste, not the light, entertaining story I expected from a retelling of the life and times of the Wicked Witch of the West. I couldn't believe it had been turned into a musical.

But it was--and how! Funny, poignant, spectacular...to borrow a line from Barney Stinson, it was more than just awesome; it was awe-quite-a-bit, it was awe-a-whole-darn-lot! While it would have been quite an experience to see the original cast (I heart Kristin Chenoweth!), I was pretty happy with this batch. Katie Rose Clarke, who plays Glinda, was hilarious and endearing. I was prepared to be disappointed by Mandy Gonzalez, who plays Elphaba (the green-skinned witch) because she seemed to start off weak. But her vocals soared during "Defying Gravity" and I...well, I got all teary eyed and goose-bumpy! She. Was. Amazing. My theater companion Carl commented that she was even better than Idina Menzel and I have to agree.

Leaving Oz. I quite like how I'm the only one who's still in this picture.

I can't tell you just how much I enjoyed the show (especially since I got to see it for free! Wheee!). But if you ever find yourself in New York or London, please please please go see it!