Guilty Confessions

So, my parent’s have been visiting for just short of an eternity and my sister and I have been pulling out our hair keeping them busy. Lunches, dinners, movies, theater – lots of theater – I’m feeling very cultured. And totally exhausted. Not to mention exasperated, I really don’t know how people used to live with their families for their entire lives, but then maybe that’s why so many died young…

At any rate as a late birthday present we decided to take our mother to see Wicked. I’ve actually been a huge fan of The Wizard of Oz my entire life – when I was 4 my family and friends put on a full scale production recorded for posterity on Super 8 – but I digress…

Anyway, for some reason I’d been wary of seeing Wicked. Despite having grown up watching and loving musicals – everything from Singing In The Rain to The Wiz to Everyone Says I Love You – I’ve gotten a bit jaded when it comes to Broadway. However, I kind of loved it. The sets, songs and performers were great, it was truly fun. Though I’m loathe to admit it, I’m clearly not as jaded as I thought – there were even a couple of songs that made me tear up. Oy god, I’m such a sap!

Fine, since I’ve already confessed to being sappy, I might as well lay it all out on the table.

A couple of months ago my sister and I took a friend to see Xanadu for her birthday. (I promise, I really am kind of cool.) Again, had seen the movie as a child, and though I can’t say it was my favorite, it’s one of those cult things that you can’t help but know about. And as much as I’d like to slam this one, I can’t. Sure, it was totally campy and cheesey, but you know what? It rocked! Even the concession stand got into the act. In addition to selling the requisite “Xanadu Brand” t-shirts they had a fab array of apparel from leg warmers to short shorts. Also a great variety of 80s refreshments like Pop Rocks, Tab, candy necklaces and Shasta. You can see it, right? Pretty fricken’ awesome.

So yeah, from the moment we arrived we could tell we were gonna have a great time, but as we stood in the lobby gulping wine while waiting for the festivities to begin we began wishing we had gotten a little more into the act. I fished around in my bag and found some glittery lip gloss which I brandished with a flourish to jazz up our eyelids and lips and paint little stars on our cheekbones – ok, maybe I am a freak…