AIDA

So back in 2001 before 9/11 and all that devastation hit NYC, I took my very first plane ride and went to the Big Apple with my performing group, Diamond Talent. I scrimped and saved for that trip for months..even having a big car wash a few weeks before hand and getting the sunburn of a lifetime! I cleaned so many toilets I swore the first time I went to the bathroom IN New York it'd make up for all the ones I'd cleaned to get there! It definitely did...

I don't have any pictures from that trip online, that was back in the days of film...but the memories I have from that trip are still SO vivid! I LOVE New York City and hope I can visit a few more times in my life. Ben will be going there in January for a school trip. It'll be hard not only to be without him, but to miss out on a NY trip! We had so much fun there together when we did our engagement pictures!

My point for this post is to rave about my favorite Broadway show of all time...AIDA. I saw 8 shows that week, but this one took the cake. I saw it on a Tuesday after eating at Tavern on the Green for my best friend Tishanne's 16th birthday. It was a fairytale day...followed by one of the best nights EVER! I even recall the food from Tavern made me sick...REALLY sick. But I didn't care because I got to see AIDA with the original cast comprised of Heather Headley and Adam Pascal. I was rocked to the core after this show. Heather Headley had this amazing gift of not only the most remarkable VOICE but the ability to connect with her audience. I wasn't on the front row or anything, but felt that woman's passion for her role several rows back. I wasn't the only one who felt this way either...almost all of us were at a loss for words for the rest of the night. It was AMAZING!!!!So of course, 8 1/2 years later I was a bit hesitant to see the show again at Tuacahn, which puts on great shows but is definitely not BROADWAY. I mean what if the woman playing Aida just did not GET it? What if she couldn't portray the role correctly? What if her voice was sub-par? What if the set was lame compared to the gorgeous Broadway set? What if Radames didn't have that awesome rock voice needed for the role? SO many unknowns. :-)

If I wouldn't have free tickets to this show I may not have gone..in fact we almost forgot to go! We realized Sunday that the show was closing this week and we could only use our free tix on Tues or Thurs. Luckily we got amazing seats for last night's performance.

I was NOT disappointed. I had told myself I'd never be able to enjoy this show again after the original..but the second the lights came up and I saw the beautiful museum setting and pyramids in the back on the beautiful Ivins mountain..I started to cry. And I cried more when I saw Princess Amneris in her museum "box". I bawled when she started to sing and the main characters made their way on stage. I finally calmed down when things got a little more...I don't know. Just not emotional. But I cried again when Aida belted out her first phrase "You know NOTHING ABOUT ME! AND CARE EVEN LESS!" Thank GOODNESS she had an awesome voice. Thank goodness Radames was good looking and had rock and roll quality.

I am SO glad I went and saw the show again. It was so refreshing to sit through a show that long and enjoy EVERY second of it. I haven't been that entertained at a show since I saw La Boheme at Opera Pacific...but that's another story!