Driving in Atlanta... AKA our WICKED trip!

Hiya!
So, this past weekend, the sibling and I were lucky enough to be able to travel to Atlanta, GA (an approximately 6 HOUR TRIP). Excited, we were upon setting out Saturday at 11.30-ish. Six hours later, not quite so much. Seriously. As anyone who has every taken that trip knows, the roads just go on for freakin' ever!
Anywho, we arrived at our destination hotel, right down town (thanks to Nadine, a member of our church and our cleaning lady!), which was super super super nice. We checked in and Allie and I decided to go on out for dinner. Well, I feel like I must tell you that it was, like, 5-ish. We walked two blocks up the street to Hard Rock Cafe, which was awesome, as it always is. I bought a shirt, and we schlepped back to the hotel. It's only, like, 6.30 at this point. The car has been valet parked (because we were told that was the only parking that would be available to us at the hotel... which was a lie; there was a lot across the street, but whatever, it was nice). Allie talks to the parents on the phone who, when she tells them that we're probably not gonna do anything else, suggest that we go see, what else, HIGH SCHOOL MUSICAL 3! Yay... (Note the lack of enthusiasm in my voice).
Here it comes, folks, the debacle of the trip. Ya ready for it? Yeah, we weren't either...
I call the conceirge, asking where the closest theater is. Then proceed to call the theater and get movie times, while Allie is standing there watching me... Thanks, Al. We don't have directions to the theater and, because Allie won't call and get them from the conceirge, she calls Dad, who is going to get us there. What everyone fails to tell us is that the theater, located in an area called Atlantic Station, is very near Georgia Tech University... and they had a home game that day. Allie and I get the car and embark on our quest, the object of which is located only 3.2 miles from the hotel. 3.2 miles, we can do this, right? I am driving, Allie is relaying information. Traffic is bad anyway, but, because of the Georgia Tech game, it is horrible! Dad's giving Allie directions to go straight, but there are these vertical post things sticking up in intersections that prevent you from going straight (no one believes me, but I swear, it's so), so we're having to turn and immediately u-turn to get back on the right road. RIDICULOUS! We finally find the theater and there's no parking. Okay, so we have to try to find parking... Which I Forrest-Gump-ed my way into. Then we couldn't figure out how to walk out of the garage and locate the theater...
It was a disaster. Funny, but a disaster...
Long (-er) story short, HSM3, after the first 3 musical numbers, wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. The first three numbers were as bad as I thought it would be...
We made it back to the hotel. Sunday morning, we got up and schelpped to McDonald's to get brekkie, then ended up across the street in the elaborate Westin hotel at a Starbucks. We went back to our hotel and got all dressed up before checking out and heading over to the Fox Theater.
Let me start by saying, if anyone hasn't seen Wicked, I suggest you go... quickly.
THE MUSICAL WAS AMAZING!!!!
If I could do anything else to set this statement off, I would. I was flattened, floored, impressed, astounded. I mean, I knew it would be good; I like the story, the music, the concept, but I wasn't prepared for the GREATNESS that it was. Just amazing. Absolutely loved it.
In fact, Allie and I are looking into possibly going to see it in Jacksonville, FL, or Norfolk, VA, in April or May, and taking Mom, that's how good it was.
We made it back here about 9.30pm on Sunday, without much problem.
Overall, I had a great time. I'm pretty sure Allie did, too.
Until next time, remember...
Not everyone can come and go by bubble!
Whitney

Coming Up Bradshaw

Notes on a play...

Hiya!
So, as many of you know, Allie and I went to a performance of Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street last Friday. We were both fans of the movie and the music, so we decided to scrounge around some fundage and we went.
And here's how it went...
The basic premise of the play is that there's a guy who (you assume) breaks out of prison, where's he been wrongfully held for awhile, like 15 or 16 years. Anyway, he gets out, finds out that his wife is has been poisoned and his daughter's being held by the guy that threw our hero into prison, the evil judge. Our "hero", Benjamin Barker, takes on the name Sweeney Todd and, with a nutsy baker woman named Mrs. Lovett, decides to take his revenge on not just the judge, but anyone who allowed his wife's "murder" and his daughter's abduction to happen... by opening up a barber shop (his former trade) and slitting his customer's throats. Sounds gory, right?
Well, when we got there and opened up a program, we were surprised to find that the cast was their own orchester. You heard me... the cast (the nine people on the stage acting) also played instruments, providing the soundtrack for their own music. Sounds confusing, right? It gets better... Besides playing their own music, they also provided their own staging assistance (i.e. moving props, rearranging the set, etc). It was alot. And, while all this may sound a little distracting (i.e. Sweeney plays the guitar and the trumpet, Mrs. Lovett plays the tuba and a xylophone), it really wasn't. The cast worked so well together that everything was seemless and seemed totally natural. The set was only one setup, and the props were few, but what they used, they used for multiple music numbers and by just changing or turning a piece of it, would change its use or purpose.
Overall, kindof an amazing experience. Definately minimalist and certainly not something everybody would appreciate. But probably one of the better musicals I've been to. Certainly one of the most interesting musicals I've ever been to, and I mean that in the best way possible.
Next Saturday, Allie and I are driving to Atlanta, GA to spend the night and go to see the musical Wicked, something we've wanted to see for a long time, so that should be fun... I hope so.
I'll update with notes about that after we get back!
Later all!
Whitney