First off, last month Sam and I saw the Broadway production of The Lion King while it toured in Spokane, and it was amazing! I have wanted to see this show since I was 9 years old, and finally 10 years later, I was able to live my dream! Our seats were spectacular, considering they were the cheaper seats. We were right in the middle, nearer to the back, but still close enough that we never missed any of the action. The whole evening was perfect, we arrived a few hours early in order to be able to eat and ensure the fact that we would be able to get to our seats before the opening number. We ate at The Olive Garden, and I tried my first ever sample of their soups, and I'm glad I did! They had a Chicken Gnocchi stew that tasted just like a pot pie filling. It was delicious, and I would love to try making it myself one day. Supposedly Sam found a dumpling in her bowl, but mine was devoid of such delicacies. Next came the main course which consisted of Mushroom Ravioli for Sam and a Grilled Chicken Alfredo dish for me. Both were superb, but I barely had room for any of my alfredo (especially after a bowl of soup and 3 helpings of breadsticks between us!) so I ended up bagging most of my meal. Our server was really sweet as well, and I think he was giving us both the eye, which was understandable since we were both pretty dressed up.
After dinner it was time to head for the show. It was pretty cold outside, but the theatre wasn't too far away, and Downtown Spokane really is beautiful at night, especially walking past the carousel, and seeing the clock tower lit up. Reaching the theatre, posters teased us of the show to come. Nala, Rafiki, and people in gazelle costumes greeted us on the glass doors as we waited for the lobby to open. My dinner ended up leaking out of the box a bit, and soaking one corner of our bag, but not even that could ruin the anticipation of what lay ahead. (Don't worry, I still had plenty of leftovers to eat later!) Once the lobby opened we still had about 15 minutes before they would let people take their seats, so we decided to check out the shop in the meantime. There wasn't much there. The ornaments were tacky, the shirts were ugly, and the mugs weren't appealing either, but I did end up purchasing a program to the show which I don't regret for a minute. It was full of pictures from the show, and background information, and came with a separate sheet describing the actors who were to be in the show that night. They did have miniature ornaments of the African masks that Simba and Scar wore, which were pretty dang cool, but I didn't end up getting one, as they were $20 a piece.
Finally after about 10 more minutes they let us get seated. A large curtain hung across the stage, with African symbols marking it, and lit softly in warm yellows and oranges. The orchestra was tuning, and every now and then soft drumming could be heard. Tension was in the air as everyone waited for the show to begin. Finally, after what felt like an hour the lights fell, and the curtain rose. The silhouette of the woman playing Rafiki could be seen entering the stage. All at once a beautiful representation of an African sunrise lit the stage as Rafiki belted out "Nants ingonyama bagithi Baba!"
It was incredible. Sam and I sat stunned in our seats as Rafiki's beautiful voice permeated the air, and soon the animals began to enter down the isles. Actors operated the puppets with incredible ease. Giraffes (men on four stilts), cheetas, leaping gazelles, birds with wings that flapped as the actors raised and lowered their arms, rhinos, and an elephant with four operators (one in each leg) were among the crowd gathering for the Circle of Life.
The only way I can think of to describe how amazing this show was, is to show pictures. Rafiki and Zazu completely stole the show, and were without a doubt my favorite characters (which is odd, considering I didn't really like those characters in the movie).
It was over before I was ready. I'd love to see it again, but I'm afraid it'd have to wait until I travel to New York someday, as the tickets will be cheaper there. My favorite scenes include the moment right after Mufasa's death, as the lionesses are mourning, when Rafiki and young Nala perform a duet. That song was so beautiful. Another favorite would be the scene when Simba sees his father in the clouds. The imagery during that scene was so beautiful! Unfortunately I couldn't find a picture of that scene online.After the show I got to ride my first cab home! The fare wasn't too bad, although much more expensive than the bus. After getting home, I decided to look on ebay for a copy of the soundtrack, since the ones at the show were $20. I found one for $10 and upon getting it, I got a rather pleasant surprise. There was a ticket inside the jacket from the original owner's show back in 1998, so now I have two ticket souvenirs. I liked the singers at our show better than the ones on the cd, but that's usually how it goes isn't it? Anyway, ever since then I've had songs from the show stuck in my head, which isn't such a bad thing as long as I don't try to repeat any of the African words!
In other words, I've made a new friend! Jesse is the fry/grill cook at SFCC and we'd seen each other multiple times, but one day a similar taste in music brought us into a conversation, and ever since that day our friendship has bloomed. He's a great guy, and it's nice to have made a new friend. We saw Boondock Saints 2: All Saints Day a week ago and it was amazing! It was incredibly funny, and even though the brothers both got 10 years older and a little fatter, they're both still hot! I missed seeing Willem Dafoe, as he was one of my favorite characters, but the woman they brought in to replace his role was fantastic. Her one-liners were part of what made the movie so memorable! I honestly can't decide whether I liked the 1st one or the 2nd one better. I'm looking forward to maybe seeing it again, since Sam hasn't yet seen it.
Thanksgiving was fun. Miya and Roy's new tv is awesome and huge! Watching Star Trek and Up was so incredible, everything was so sharp and defined! After playing video games on that large of a screen, no other tv will do! Miya made a delicious meal and seeing Roy's parents is always entertaining to say the least.
I just arrived in Chewelah yesterday, and am looking forward to Christmas, and dinner! I was hoping for a ham, but mom informed me that we would be having turkey. This will be the 3rd time in two months I've had turkey. It's a good thing I like turkey, ha ha! Oh well, I'm sure Sam will bring home leftovers from her ham Christmas dinner. I hope everyone else has a great Christmas, and gets where they're going safely. Merry Christmas everyone!
