Beauty and the Beast

I'm taking advantage of my coffee induced urge to chatter. This blog post is going to be the rough draft of an extra credit assignment I'm turning in for humanities class. Of course, I'll probably make it a little more formal before I turn it in and I'll format it correctly, blah blah blah... Oh, and actually proof the grammar/spelling. Anyway.

BEAUTY AND THE BEAST!
Rating: 9.5/10

I went to see the Broadway production of Beauty and the Beast at the Tulsa Performing Arts Center on Wednesday, March 2nd. I was excited for months in advance because I love the Broadway season at the PAC, and Beauty and the Beast is one of the ones that really gets hyped up. The musical follows the Disney version of the story, so I knew most of the songs they sang. I loved the live instrumental versions of the music I've enjoyed since I was little watching the movie. My favorite songs were, “Belle,” “Gaston,” “Be Our Guest,” “The Mob Song,” and “Beauty and the Beast.” It was probably because these were the ones I already knew from the movie. I wasn’t as impressed with the new songs, although they did add something to the performance.

Belle's voice was really great. She reminded me of Bell from the movie, which is always a good thing when they're re-creating such a well-loved movie. The one voice I wasn't sure I liked was the beast's. He had this amazing, deep and booming speaking voice. However, I didn't think he sounded as great while he was singing. I did like the very last song he sang, but other than that I could have gone without hearing his solos. They completely created a song for Beast, which is probably to be expected for making a Broadway musical out of a movie.

My absolute favorite character was Lumiere, and Lefou was my runner-up favorite. Lumiere was energetic, wild, and perfect. His accent was over the top and it really made his character pop. I felt like he really carried most of the castle scenes. Lumiere got the most laughs out of the audience and out of me for sure. He also got the loudest applause at the end of the performance. Lefou was the source of the physical comedy. He was one of the most flexible men I've ever seen. He was always tripping and somersaulting across the stage, landing in awkward heaps of arms and legs. I also enjoyed the fact that his speaking voice and singing voice were both spot on from the movie character's voice. It really enhanced his character.

I really enjoyed all of the brightly colored costumes. The castle cast members were all wearing some very creative things. Cogsworth the clock was very obviously a clock. And Mrs. Pots had a great tea pot costume as well. Belle had a beautiful gold ball gown for the end scenes. I thought the beast’s costume was really well done. It stood out from the stage to me, and I was all the way up in the balcony. All of the villagers and other supporting cast had on vibrant, interesting outfits as well. I couldn’t find anything bad to say about this area of the production at all.

Overall, I gave the production of Beauty and the Beast a 9.5 out of 10. It was entertaining all the way through and only one of the newer songs made me feel like it was dragging on. Whenever intermission came I was disappointed that we had to wait for the second act. I know the audience, which included a lot of little girls in cute little sparkly dresses, loved it just as much as I did.

Deathly Hallows, Part 1

Well, I only have 10 minutes until I have to leave for class, so here is my "quick and dirty" HPDH1 review! haha. My Rating: 8.5/10 I have a smaller list of disappointments this time! Woohoo! My 2 disappointments: **I wasn't too ecstatic about the soundtrack. I dunno, I guess I could have been distracted by the actual action in the movie to hear any variations of Hedwig's theme, but it just doesn't seem like a complete HP movie if I don't hear/notice some arrangement of that score the first time I see it. **Kreacher didn't "accept" Harry! Kreacher and Harry need to become friends. They MUST become friends. How else will Kreacher and the other elves coming to the trio's defense with kitchen utensils if Kreacher doesn't even LIKE or RESPECT Harry in Part One? They have to rectify this pretty soon into Part Two for me to be happy about this one... LOVELOVELOVED: **Word-for-word dialogue from the book. I was recently re-reading DH, so I recognized quite a few word-for-word conversations! That made for a very happy Tina. **George, with the toothbrush where his ear used to be, catching Harry & Ginny kissing. The only thing I can say to this is.... Pahahahaha! **The Harry/Hermione dance. Awww! **The Ministry scenes! They were great! I was on the edge of my seat (even though I knew what was going to happen), laughing, and cringing all within a couple of minutes. **The 7 Potters! The twins (heehee. Word-for-word!)... Fleur (baha.)... **Malfoy Manor. Creepy and perfect! **Bathilda Bagshot! Okay, I'll admit. I jumped a little bit. But at least I didn't scream and almost hit the roof like Kate did. Paha. Love you, Kate.

Straight No Chaser!

Sooo, it took me for-freaking-ever to get this post typed up. But I couldn't just let it sit here unfinished. This concert was even better than the May 8th SNC concert! ^_________^

I met up with SJ for the Meet & Greet before the show, and also met Tina G, Pati and Esther! Since I'm writing this almost a month after the fact, I'm so sorry if I forgot anyone! :/
Anyway. Meet and Greet! The M&G beforehand really made my night. Really, EVERYTHING individually would have made my night, so I guess this made my month. :P I met SJ at the door to the theater after being in town for a couple of hours. We wandered awkwardly into the room, and had some lovely conversation before the guys showed up sitting at a little table in our library voices. :P haha. There was a big veggie tray set out, as well as cookies and rolls, and pretty much no one was eating from it. There were also little bowls of candy on the individual tables where people were sitting, and few people were eating out of those. Then the guys all come in, and swarm the food table. I think it was Ryan that made a joke about being starved, and then Walt picked up the veggie tray and started circulating it around the room.

SJ & I were sitting in amazing front row seats.. the only problem was the gigantic speaker sitting right in front of me. I remember sitting all the way back in my chair, then leaning forward and stretching my arm out to touch the stage. THAT is how close we were! It was fun. I was able to take pictures and video without even zooming in! I was so happy I was able to catch facial expressions, since when they came to Tulsa my tickets were so far back the zoom on my camera could only catch blurs of tan suits. :-P
Video links!
Billie Jean/Poison: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q01-N--7ZyE
Chicken Fried: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rd5zOVYYtkE
Lion Sleeps Tonight: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_oMnoqFVuyY
Miss You (a new favorite!): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Eqe9KuhNAss
Come Together: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9eV0LN234-Q
Hi-De-Ho: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WtXQwNOqeZ0 *****My favorite video of the night. ^____^
12 Days: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kFS7uo1uOfE
In the Still of the Night (no mics): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=akwIKF2FO9o
GAGA MEDLEY (!!): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C6_VuYvBFKA
Okay, I can't go through the whole concert, but I have highlights that especially stood out!
Gaga medley -SOOOOOOOOOOO much more amazing in person! It was absolutely hilarious, the choreography was genius, and of course their voices were perfect as always.
Rolling Stones' Miss You - It was the first time I'd heard it, and it was fantastic. Of course, I was feeling the #basslove during this song, but that's not the ONLY reason I loved it. :-P I really wish they would record this one and put it on an album!
Hi-De-Ho - Being five feet in front of Charlie, Walt, and Tyler while they sang it was amazing. A-maze-ing. Dude, its even more of my favorite song now. I could barely fit just the three of them in the shot, and my camera wasn't zoomed in at all. Listening to this song from five feet away = #basslove HEAVEN! And the tenor training wheels did a fantastic job as well!
Chicken Fried - A country song! haha. I have to enjoy it, if nothing else then for the fact that it is country, and it helps other people appreciate country just a little bit more. ^___^ But I did really, really like the arrangement! (So thanks for that, Tyler! Didn't he arrange it?) Though I still think Charlie would kill a Josh Turner song. Any Josh Turner song.
Also, I FINALLY got to see 12 Days in person! The first time I saw the 12 Days video was when it was FIRST going viral. In the Still of the Night was pure magic without mics, and everything else was just perfect! (I'm running out of adjectives...)

Waiting for the M&G line afterwards was hilarious with all the chasers... Especially Mila! When the line went down and we finally got to the table, Mila actually got up on it. haha. Watching the guys with her was adorable. I helped Mila down off the table and then started distributing my gifts... (http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash2/hs124.ash2/39522_1472503659734_1447920356_31228462_830865_n.jpg) The ornaments with penguins on them! And 5 Snickerdoodles for each guy. I loved Charlie's reaction when he realized the ornaments (which had been wrapped around the bags of cookies) were actually Christmas ornaments. And I got my winter tour shirt signed! Haha. The shirt made it down the table before I did. I felt kind of scatterbrained while I was going through the line, especially when 2-3 of the guys are asking you different questions at the same time. But then most of them came up to me after they got out from behind the table and thanked me for the ornaments/cookies again and I got lots of hugs! (I LOVE hugs. haha.) I got an individual picture with Randy & then a big group picture. Now I need to go back to another concert and get more individual pictures!

Its been sooo long since this happened, I wish I could recall actual conversations, but I can't. :-( Anyway, it was a lovely, lovely night and I began uploading pictures and videos immediately when I returned to the hotel room where I was staying with my parents. I had so much fun with all my subsequent notifications and such. haha.
Well, it seems like an abrupt and/or awkward spot to end this post, but that's all folks! haha. :-)

The Cat's Pajamas

Oh. My. Goodness.
This is my new favorite Branson show, hands down. :)

Lovelovelovelovelovelove them!

Me: Can I give an 11 out of 10? :-)
Favorite Songs: Some Kind of Wonderful, I Can Live with That, Pretty Woman, Hooked on a Feeling, Radio/Video Medley, The Joker, You've Lost that Loving Feeling

Kate: 9
And, I didn't ask what her favorite songs were. Oops. But if I had to guess, I'd say Love Potion Number 9. ;)

Anyway. I had been telling mom that I wanted to see them for a good couple weeks in advance of our Branson trip. I had heard Jason, Rose, and Kim saying great things. And since my Straight No Chaser kick, I've always been up for finding really good a cappella groups. Well, Monday when Kate and I were getting ready for the 12 Irish Tenors, The Cat's Pajamas came to our hotel to sing a couple of songs. Mom fell in love. Grant pulled her up to dance with her and sang Pretty Woman to her. Then she got pictures, and they held her sideways! Mom said it was their idea, too. But of course, if a group of performers is good looking and my mom or grandma gets to participate... the performers usually love them. :P
Mom and dad got tickets to go while Kate and I were with Jason at the tenors. Grant pulled her up on stage again for Pretty Woman. So mom fell in love all over again and got a free CD out of it. Mom's favorite is Grant now, of course. She told me that night that she just knew I'd fall in love with the bass singer.

Kate and I got to go Wednesday night. :) We were in the front row, which was awesome. And mom was right. I LOVE the bass singer, Brian Skinner. The other guys in the group are Grant, Nate, Marcus, and Chris. They all have FANTASTIC voices. And a great stage presence. They're all supremely energetic and entertaining. The first song was Some Kind of Wonderful. I fell in love with the Cat's Pajamas with that first song. This is definitely my kind of show. And I'm not gonna lie... I cheered. A lot. Loudly. :) The crowd wasn't too big so I felt that they deserved a bit more cheering. Plus, mom has really started rubbing off on me lately and that is just what we do in situations like that. :P

The second song was I Can Live with That. I think its one of my top 2 songs. I just love it to pieces. :D It really shows off their personalities and their different musical style. I really like them because they're such an obviously amazing a cappella group, but they still have their own sound. Also, they can dance! haha. If you've been following my other Branson posts... they have MUCH better choreography than the 12 Irish Tenors. And it looks much more natural. You can tell they're having fun with it!
The one thing that made me laugh was that their version of adding a country song to the show was Uncle Kracker. When the Sun Goes Down. It was very well done, but I just had to laugh because I don't consider Kenny Chesney, especially with Uncle Kracker, very country.

During intermission I bought a t-shirt and made the rounds to get it signed. I also got individual pictures. Mom would have killed me if I hadn't introduced myself as the daughter of "the woman from the Colonnade & monday night's show..." So I did. Of course, they remembered her! We stuck around again afterwards for the group picture opportunity and we talked with them again. I was actually surprised at how much they remembered from the obviously long conversations with my mother. She told them I was 19, about to go off to college... and single. Of course. [Dad told me Monday night that she offered me up as the sacrificial lamb to any of the Cats that would take me.] Marcus said, "Guys, this is CINDY'S daughter! Oh, she told us to embarrass her!" They all seemed upset that they had forgotten to do that during the show. But I just told them, "I've lived with my mom for so long its pretty hard to embarrass me now." Really, I would love if they had tried to embarrass me from the stage. I find that kind of thing fun now. :P

And, if you have been looking at the pictures along with this blog post.... those are all from the SECOND night we went to see the Cat's Pajamas! Yes sir, we went Wednesday night AND Friday night! They remembered us, of course, and by the end of Friday night they even remembered our names! [Not that Tina & Kate are hard to remember... when one of us has flaming red hair. :P] I love them even more now, though. They're very nice to the fans and make an effort to be personable.

Anyway... I had been thinking about mom's fun picture since Monday night. And it took me those few conversations during Wednesday night for me to kind of warm up to them... so by Friday morning, I had a plan. We took mom's camera to the show, which gives better quality pictures than my camera. We got more individual pictures during intermission and talked with them all some more. Marcus told me he had tried to convince Grant to take me up for Pretty Woman, but you know how Branson works. It was one of the not-so-young women from the audience that night. Even though FOUR women had denied Grant when he tried to pull them up, and I think if any more had said no he might have come back to me. :P haha. Hey, we WERE on the front row.

Speaking of the front row... they sang to me! haha. It was after intermission on Friday, and when they sang the last half of The Joker, they were all looking at me. They all made eye contact, actually, as they crouched at the edge of the stage right in front of my chair. It was fun. Kate got excited on my behalf. haha.

Anyways, after Friday's show we waited until most of the group pictures with other people had been over.... and I went up and said, "So, you guys did a really fun picture with mom, and picked her up. Can you help me one-up her? I want a better picture!" They said, "sure!"
I turned to face Kate with the camera, and without warning I'm picked up to about Grant's shoulder height. His shoulders are definitely taller than I am when I'm flat-footed on the ground. So I grab onto Grant's and Nate's necks, trying to not flail. Then the rest of them grab me and turn me sideways. It was fun! Another reason I like this group. :P I hear Brian say, "I guess I get the feet," and then when I look at the camera screen... it looks like he's biting me. haha. And Marcus' face makes me laugh too. I think its safe to say that this is the best group picture I've ever had taken with a singing group I like. :P

So, I made sure to push Kate into all the pictures because I KNEW she wanted pictures, but she's still to shy to speak up for them. I had to threaten her, actually. And I hit jackpot with my threat, because I could have sworn I was almost on the receiving end of a full-body tackle before she almost literally jumped into several individual pictures. ^_______^ I love you, Kate!

And so, with a last goodbye, [I could almost hear Kate thinking, hoping they didn't think we were stalkers. I said pssssh. They remember you better if you're a nuisance. :P That's mom's philosophy.] we promised to come back again, and rode the really-really-really-great-show high all the way back to the hotel. Not getting caught in 76 traffic by using the back roads helped keep our spirits up too.
And mom and I are planning on getting away from dad's parents' house during one of the days following Thanksgiving to go back and see them! ^___^ And since my freshman college classes will be completely over by May 1st or so, I'll be able to go see them for my birthday on May 9th! Or one of the days around there, since my birthday will probably fall on a day that they aren't performing...



Anyway... if you made it through that WHOLE ramble then you are either 1. very, very bored, 2. my new best friend for life, or 3. as big of a fan of the Cat's Pajamas as I am. So good for you. :D Closing statement:
You MUST go see them if you're ever in Branson.

Buckets n' Boards

Wednesday morning we went to see Buckets n' Boards. It was hilarious! Both of the guys are really, extremely talented! I had to sit on one of my legs to see over the people in front of me [there wasn't anyone directly behind me, so I felt alright doing that. haha.]

Me: 9.5
Kate: 9

They were drumming on buckets, empty propane tanks, and squeaky toy turtles. They could also tap and play the guitar. Oh, and sing. I was really surprised at how well they could sing! I loved it.

I was highly entertained throughout the whole show. It seemed to pass by too quickly. Some of my favorite parts were when they were playing with the squeaky toys and of course the buckets. And when they were tapping, at one point they sang "Singing in the Rain," with thunder and rain sound effects and a frilly umbrella included.

After the show, I bought a Buckets n' Boards t-shirt and had them sign it. That day if you bought a shirt you got a free, pre-signed poster so I have that as well now! And it was VERY crowded where they were selling their stuff and taking pictures, so I got a very nice mom to take a picture of us with my camera, instead of taking two individual ones. It was just as well, because my camera literally died about 2 minutes after the picture was taken.

I would definitely recommend going to see this show! Its awesome, hilarious, and there's never a dull moment. The two of them play off of each other and the crowd so well, its fun to watch.

12 Irish Tenors

Me: 7.5
Favorite song: Glen Miller/Sinatra sections & Scarborough Fair

Kate 7.5
Favorite song: Scarborough Fair

Overall, I liked it a lot. I would probably want to wait a couple months before going back to see it again [as opposed to seeing the same show twice in one week... *cough*]. I wasn't disappointed.

The show started out a bit rough. While I know that shows are scripted, the good ones make you feel like you're seeing something completely natural for the first time. The first 15 minutes felt a bit stiff to me. And the choreography in the first few songs made me bite my lip to keep from laughing. Granted, I came to hear singing instead of see dancing, but they had choreographed putting their hands on their microphones at the same time... in a very dramatic way.
One of the tenors had long blonde hair, and the first thing that came to mind was... If the Weasley twins ever went blonde, this is exactly what they would look like! I told this to Kate & Jason and they agreed.
I could definitely tell that there were some tracks in the show, and I'm not the greatest at picking up on those things. But it didn't detract from the experience for me that much.

Kate and I loved Scarborough Fair! They sat on the steps of the stage and I'm pretty sure they sang it a cappella, with the exception of one drum played by one of the guys. It was very pretty. This is a good accomplishment for me, because when listening to slow songs live I have a tendency to get bored unless the vocals are really good. I wasn't bored with it! So good job, 12 Irish Tenors for that one.
My other favorite sections were the Glen Miller & Sinatra sections. I adore Frank Sinatra. I really do. So as long as you don't royally mess up a Sinatra song, I will enjoy it. :P haha. The choreography for these two sections were much improved as well.
Oh, and I did actually burst out laughing when they announced they would be singing some "West Side Story" songs. hahaha. It would have been impossible for me to not laugh. :P

So, overall it was really entertaining and enjoyable, even if it isn't necessarily the best show I've seen yet.

Birthday Concert: Straight No Chaser!

So, I've been following Straight No Chaser ever since their '12 Days of Christmas' youtube video became popular. I ordered their DVD and some of the CDs they made in college, and went and bought 'Holiday Spirits' the day it was available in stores. Same for 'Christmas Cheers.' I think I had to wait for my payday and bought 'With a Twist' just about 3-4 days or so after it came out.

So, understandably, I was really psyched when I heard that they would be coming to Tulsa on May 8, the day before my 19th birthday. Actually, I was more excited about the concert than my birthday. :P I turned my mother into a fan around the time of their first Christmas CD, so she was excited to go. My grandma fell in love when I sat her down to listen to a CD right before we bought the tickets. And Kate, my best friend, had heard me play them before and so I brought her along for the fun.

I knew the concert was going to be fantastic. [The only downside was the fact that I am 5'3 tall, and the people sitting in front of me were at least 5'10.] But they blew me away! I loveloveloved listening to Straight No Chaser live! They went way above and beyond my already high expectations. It was the best concert I've ever been to.

I could listen to these guys all day long! Could have listened all night long. :) And afterward they were so nice in the autograph line. I talked with several of them, and ended up having to take two pictures with Jerome because I blinked in the first one. I got my little mini-poster from inside the CD autographed. And then the next time I checked my facebook, I had a notification from Randy wishing me a happy birthday and saying it was nice to meet me. That was an unexpected surprise and it was nice to meet all of you guys too. :) And it was great to hear happy birthday from all of them going through the line.

I knew Kate had become a fan when she searched out the SNC music on my iPod when we went on our traditional Sonic run for slushes. I think we made it there five minutes before they closed. haha. Most of the people that ride in my car have heard Straight No Chaser, and it is obvious how amazing they are when people say, "wow... they ARE good!"

So, if you haven't heard of them... you must look them up on youtube immediately and then go buy their newest album, With a Twist! :D Some of the best music ever! And then if you ever get the chance, see them live. It is a million times better than listening to a CD. Plus, they're really funny and I love watching them dance. I was trying to pick a favorite song of the night, but I just couldn't. Some of the ones that were tied for first were Hi-De-Ho [SOOO amazing live!], Joy to the World, Poison/Billie Jean [loved the MJ dancing], Africa [so beautiful when they sing it!], Fix You, and Lion Sleeps Tonight. The TV theme songs were especially good, and I really enjoyed Charlie singing the Beverly Hillbillies theme.

They also knew how to make the crowd happy with OU/OSU mentions. And the very last song without mics was gorgeous! The original song that I believe Dan wrote was fantastic. I loved it.

I was a very happy birthday girl! :D