Christmas in July

This weekend, all my Christmas dreams came true. For Christmas last year, Caleb gave me a promise to take me to a show of my choice, AND to buy me a new dress to wear for the occasion. We spent much of the first part of the year trying to figure out what to go see, finally settling on seeing "Wicked," at the Pantages. We bought tickets for July 28, and last week we went into one of my favorite stores, and I bought a fabulous dress for the evening out. (See picture.)

We were on the road by 4:45 or so, on Saturday afternoon. We headed to the big shopping center at Hollywood and Highland, near Grauman's Chinese Theater and the El Capitan Theater. We had dinner in a fourth-floor Italian restaurant. We were going to get dessert, but decided on playing it safe on the time. After dinner we headed down to an area where we caught a shuttle that took us over to the Pantages Theater.

I don't know how well you might know Hollywood, but it can actually be kind of a shady, run-down area. There are pockets of classy restaurants and stores, but they're built right next to shady tattoo parlors, decaying buildings, and old storefronts. So this is why I was taken by surprise upon entering the Pantages. It is simply gorgeous. The plush red carpet beneath your feet echoes the grandeur of the intricate and elaborate architecture of the ceiling and walls. Its hard to describe, but it looks like a grand theater showcased in an old movie.

Our seats were high up, but they were still pretty good (well, if it hadn't been for the big guy sitting in front of me, whose head I sometimes had to bob and weave around to see the stage properly). The musical began promptly at 8:00. Now, we both went into this knowing very little about what to expect, other than, "its good." Well, I quickly decided that "its good" is a gross understatement. "Wicked" is one of the best musicals I've ever seen. The actresses playing the two main parts were phenomenal, their opposite personalities playing off each other perfectly. And they both sang wonderfully. I also firmly believe that a story can sometimes better be told through song than mere speech. Music has the power to evoke so much more emotion and passion. Like a picture can be worth a thousand words, a well-done song can say more than a whole book full of wordy description. The story is one of an unlikely friendship, a friendship that weathers the manipulations of those around them to emerge victorious, each in their own way. It is the most natural thing in the world for me to recommend "Wicked" to everyone. Even non-musical lovers. It is simply fantastic.

After the play, Caleb and I walked around Hollywood Blvd for a little while, looking at the stars on the sidewalk, and the hand/footprints at Grauman's Chinese. And then we hit serious traffic trying to get out of town. We didn't get back home until 1 in the morning. But what an evening! We looked good, we ate good, we were entertained good.

All I have left to say is ... Merry Christmas!