touchedMark & I went to see The Marvelous Wonderettes yesterday (me for the second time, and hubby for the first) and I will NEVER forget the kindness that the cast has shown me - they are all such lovely, LOVELY people!! From those who barely know me (Kim and Kirsten) who came up to give me a hug and let me know that they were so sorry and had heard about what happened, to Julie who (literally) gave me her beautiful homemade shawl/scarf off her own back... they were all the sweetest!! And finally, Steve and Bets who are clearly the SWEETEST, most thoughtful couple around - truly, their kind gift almost made me burst into tears - they are just the kindest, most thoughtful people that I have been blessed to know!!
The show itself was wonderful and made an instant fan out of Mark - he loved it so much, in fact, that he wants to see it on our next trip. I think the thing that makes the Wonderettes so wonderful is the innocence of it. It's so interactive and sweet that by the time the show is done, you're really rooting for the main characters and get involved in their lives and their stories. Plus, the talent onstage is incredible - where else can you see talent like Bets, Julie, Kim, and Kirsten on the same stage together!! :) Really, if any of you are in the LA area, I can't think of a more enjoyable way to spend an afternoon! And the GREAT news is that they've been extended until March 26th!! WOO!
After the Wonderettes, Mark & I headed to Pasadena Playhouse to see Defiance - which, one of the most exciting parts for me was getting to see Joel Polis (who was one of the wonderful cast members of "It's My Party" - that lovely independent film that I LOVE so much) in the cast. The show itself was thought-provoking, however, I felt that it spent WAAAY too much time setting up the main character of the colonel and not enough time on the problem at hand... Also, I didn't feel as though the character of the Captain was drawn well enough, nor did I feel that the play spent enough time on his struggle with "doing the right thing" at the end. The play masquerades as a piece about racial tension, when really it's about the inner struggle with ideals and human flaws. It was a thought provoking show, but not one I'd highly recommend.
Today Mark & I are heading out to do some last minute omiyage (hawaii travel gift) shopping at Trader Joes (why oh why don't we have one in Hawaii??) and I'm going to head to Full O'Life and Whole Foods to stock up on some great veggie food products that I simply can't find in Hawaii... Then we fly home. It's been an absolutely wonderful weekend! When we were first deciding whether the trip was something we even wanted to do (after everything that happened) we never would've thought that it was probably THE BEST thing that we could do... If nothing else, it certainly renewed our faith in the goodness of people. :)
Hope you all have a lovely Monday!! Big *HUGS* to all of you!!