It's Actually My Birthday!

Yep, I turn 21 today. Well in Great Britain at least. I guess at home I'm still 20. But it's so nice to start off the day with a surprise visit from some new friends. That's one of the greatest things about studying abroad I feel; meeting new people/friends. I've already eating 1/4 of a chocolate cake and will have the rest for breakfast, lunch, and dinner tomorrow. I know I need to do some catch up of my weekend, but I'll save that for a day when I'm not celebrating. Today was good though, I went back two my new office at work and spent some time in the glorious sunshine. Amanda and I then went to go see Jersey Boys which was surprisingly better than I had expected. I'm sorry if I gave it any flack because it was thoroughly entertaining and the music is still running through my head. Seriously Ryan Molloy's voice was spot on for Frankie Valli. What a pleasant treat to start off what will hopefully be a wonderful day. I'll be sure to post more about my Germany trip later. I hope everyone has a great of a day that I think I'm about to have!

I'm Going to Overtake You!

You know how it's the simple things in life that keep you going? At least for me that's how it is. I just had a really nice self-reflection today while walking paintings across London. The other day I might have actually attempted some exercise and at the time felt really good about myself. Then yesterday I kept waking up from all this pain that seemed to course through my body. When I woke up, I almost didn't go to class because I couldn't move! I bit the bullet and plowed through our field trip to the Sherlock Holmes museum (which was so impeccably detailed it kinda amazed me). I even pushed through to go to Singing in the Rain with my dear friend Amanda. It was my birthday present from her and it was so much fun! Highly recommend it. It's not Gene, but he did a darn tootin good show of it. The only real complaint I have are the stairs going down to our seats. They were so steep! Even if I was feeling one hundred percent, those steps would have been a nightmare. I almost fell twice. Hey West End! Buck up on the health and safety! Anyway, I had a little victory when schlepping a painting around: I passed a person on the street while walking. I just had a Top Gear moment like I was driving in a race and "I've just overtaken someone! Yeah!" Of course two steps later my knee gave out and they passed right on by. For the moment, I had accomplished something.

 

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I was also surprised by Amanda again and got to see Sweeney Todd tonight! Phenomenal does not begin to describe the experience. The lady playing Mrs. Lovett was none other than Imelda Staunton. You might know her better as Mrs. Umbridge from Harry Potter and the Order of the Pheonix. She was brilliantly funny, but for me the man that stole the show was Mr. Todd himself Michael Ball. I could listen to his voice for days. He had this great mixture of terrifying, crazy person meets tragic romantic which is exactly what Sweeney needs to be. I can't wait for their cast recording to come out. I must be getting better because walking home after the show, I didn't want to chop my legs off. Here's to a pain-free tomorrow of art fair going!

Then I Saw Her Face...

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So I've already written about my love for Shrek (you can find that here), but I have a whole new obsession with it now. Last week, Amanda scored four tickets to see Shrek: The Musical. I was obviously excited about the prospect of seeing one of my favorite films to song. Amanda, I, Missy and her boy Jack all went as a double date, and we had a wonderful time. It's been around on Broadway for some time now, but I was amazed to discover that it's considered a flop. I thought it was popular. Apparently it was spending more money than it was making in ticket sales. I really don't understand it. I had a wonderful time. It's been quite some time since I've had such an enjoyable and laugh-filled time at a musical. Were there the occasional potty humor jokes? Of course, but there were some real comedical gems thrown in there. And the music was catchy and upbeat the entire time.

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Everything just seemed to flow perfectly. The set changes were divine. Even when we had to wait 45 minutes (they reopened the bar so we were good) in the middle before the dragon appeared due to "technical difficulties" it just flowed and was a genuinely good time. Lord Farquaad was so well done! The actor wore the top and on the bottom, he wore black with the legs overlayed. He walked/danced/ran/exercised all on his knees. Every time he came on stage, I really wanted to stop laughing, but I just couldn't! The things he was able to do with his top half while getting his bottom half to work in a way that was believable was just outstanding. 

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Shrek, Fiona, and Donkey were all great, but what really sold the show for me was the ensemble. Instead of thinking that a few individuals were good, they all brought something to the table. Their songs were witty and their comedic timing was almost always on the money. The pipes on the woman who played Gingy (as well as the Sugar Plum Fairy) really blew me off guard. Then there was the ugly duckling who could belt like no one's business. And the three little pigs, and the... You get the picture. They could all sing and all dance, and I was thoroughly impressed.

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I don't care how old you are. This was a funny, good, and heartwarming show. When we left, I was still giddy from excitement from what I just saw. I felt like one of those commercials where they record people's reactions after seeing Hairspray or something. "Oh my god! I loved it! So wonderful! The perfect show!" That kind of thing. I really want to get a 5 year-old perspective on the show so maybe I'll see if Lily and Zoe will go see it with me. They love Shrek as much as I do and I think we would have a super fun time. Viva la Shrek!