Well – surprise, surprise. I saw the show twice again! What can I say… if it’s in Texas, I can’t resist. Besides that, Austin kind of rocks, so I’ll use any excuse to head that way.
This experience was quite different than all my other experiences with the show and it was quite a whirlwind experience! I honestly don’t feel that I took much away from the matinee in my memory for a number of reasons that I’ll explain in a moment, something that’s only happened three other times in my twenty times seeing the show (and two of those were the first two times I saw it, when I was too taken away to really notice anything specific, and the other was Victoria's first performance back from vacation in Houston in 2007, when the entire cast was just off).
Before I begin, let me preface this with a little background. Almost two and a half years ago, when the tour was last here in Houston, Marcie gave her first two performances as Elphaba. I was unable to make her first because it was Easter weekend and I worked in retail at the time, but I was able to attend her second performance that Easter Sunday night and was SO excited both to see the understudy and to catch someone’s second performance ever in the role of Elphaba. I sat up in the nosebleed section and often used binoculars as I watched this very small and spunky new Elphaba. At the time, I was very impressed with how tender Marcie’s portrayal was and how beautiful and developed her character arc was… hers was a journey from innocence to womanhood, which I found refreshing and new. She was still a bit shaky at points, but she gave such an earnest and lovely performance, and her voice (despite not having quite settled into the role yet) was simply awesome. I remarked in my lengthy review at the time that I thoroughly enjoyed seeing her and really wished that I would have the opportunity to see her play Elphaba again, though I knew that would probably never happen.
Lo and behold, Marcie was somewhat “discovered” (if you will) and went through all of her positions in Wicked to the one she is in now. When I realized that Marcie would be playing Austin, there was no doubt in my mind that I would be attending, and my sister bought tickets for the Saturday, August 15, matinee for her, one of my best friends, and me as my birthday present. Before I continue, it’s important to note that the ONLY reason I was going to see the show in Austin was to see Marcie, and I was thrilled beyond thrilled and hoping with everything in me that she would be on, expecting that she would because her attendance is so strong.
We got to Austin, had lunch, and headed to the theater. We walked in and I immediately made a beeline for the cast and understudy boards to be sure she was on. I was greeted by the message “At this performance, the role of Elphaba will be played by Carrie Manolakos.” It was a completely full cast, save for the one and only person I came to see. For the first time in all the times I’ve seen Wicked, I was absolutely crushed and no longer looked forward to seeing the show at all. I had nothing against Carrie, but I had absolutely no desire to see her unless I first had the opportunity to see Marcie.
We went into the theater and took our seats. We were up in the second balcony in the first few rows. The theater in Austin is gigantic, cavernous, and exceptionally tall, and the second balcony is ridiculously steep. Although we were well above the dragon, the angle of our seats gave us a great view and no obstructions… we just weren’t able to make out detailed facial expressions. And the show began…
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MATINEE REVIEW
Cast:
Carrie Manolakos as Elphaba
Heléne Yorke as Glinda
Colin Donnell as Fiyero
Marilyn Caskey as Madame Morrible
Tom McGowan as The Wizard
Kristine Reese as Nessarose
Ted Ely as Boq
David de Vries as Dr. Dillamond
Performer Reviews:
David:
I must say, I really enjoyed David as Dillamond. This is a rather thankless role, but he did a nice job with it. In fact, I rank him second only to Tom Flynn out of the five Dillamonds I’ve seen. His line deliveries were fresh, and his chemistry with Carrie wasn’t bad. I particularly enjoyed him in the second classroom scene, when his “continue speaking out… You’re not being told the story” speech had a particular urgency to it that was very true to what that moment actually is.
Ted:
Was ADORABLE. Just as I rank David second of the Dillamonds I’ve seen, I rank Ted second out of the Boqs, only behind Ben Liebert. I really enjoyed his performance, particularly his earnest and eager interactions with Heléne and his deliberateness in cutting between Heléne and Colin during “Dancing Through Life.” I was also a big fan of his line delivery during “Wicked Witch of the East,” though I still have to give the award for best “losing his heart” moment to Ben.
Kristine:
Based solely on the matinee (I’m reviewing most everyone again for the evening)… I really enjoyed her. I’m not going to lie, I was really distracted throughout the matinee, so all I really remember vividly of her was “Wicked Witch of the East.” Don’t get me wrong, I remember the other stuff, it’s just that’s the only song that really sticks out in my mind. She does the “sizing up the munchkin” in “Dancing Through Life”… someone on here once mentioned that they didn’t like it, and for some reason, that caught on with me and now it bugs me haha. Besides that, though, lovely performance. I particularly loved her line delivery in “WWotE”
Tom:
Was not a fan in the matinee. At all. I thought he was overdone and not at all genuine.
Marilyn:
Same as Tom. She had a couple of nice moments, but on the whole, I felt she was either over-the-top or just going through the motions. However, she does sing the lines that are meant to be sung (which I like), and her “wicked witch” speech is KILLER. I mean… we’re talking exceptionally good.
Colin:
REALLY didn’t like him at all during “Dancing Through Life.” It began when Carrie hit the cart… he appeared scared and spoke in a startled and high-pitched, high-strung voice. It was so out of character for a Fiyero that I found it jarring. I found him to be really flamboyant? (for lack of a better term) throughout the scene in every aspect, and I couldn’t understand at all why Glinda or Elphaba would become so attracted to him, even on a superficial level (aside from the fact that he. Is. HOT.). Beyond that, his voice just didn’t seem to be able to fit the score for “Dancing Through Life.” He tried one riff (can’t remember where) and it didn’t quite go his way. When the Lion Cub scene came around, things started to improve. His line deliveries were FANTASTIC, but I still found his motions and gestures to be on the flamboyant side… it was a very odd paradox, what with the two not matching up! I will say, though, that he has the BEST run back across the stage of any Fiyero I’ve seen. I loved it! He seemed to have hit his stride in the train station scene, though I still didn’t find him to be convincing as the suave male lead. His acting during “Thank Goodness” started out a little overdone (his reaction to Heléne was a tad much for my taste), but his acting for the rest of the scene was quite good. Beginning with “Wonderful,” however, I liked him for the rest of the show. Solid through that scene, “As Long As You’re Mine,” and the Fallen House. Nothing special or remarkable, but solid. Due to his first act, though, I left the matinee not feeling too thrilled about his performance on the whole.
Heléne:
Okay, so this is where I think I’m going to become unpopular… I REALLY didn’t like her, especially in the matinee. Which stunned me, because I’ve never said that about any Glinda I’ve seen live before. At intermission, I walked out and one of the first things I said was how disappointed I was with her portrayal of the character. It was just so… over-the-top and unmotivated. I think I can best describe her Act I Glinda as a cross between Annaleigh Ashford and Kate Reinders. There’s too much going on and not enough motivation behind all of what’s going on. There was nothing to drive it. “Popular” in particular irked me, because she screamed CONSTANTLY, and for no real reason. But let me begin at the beginning… Before I do, though, please let me emphasize that I am not trying to knock Heléne at all. She is a PHENOMENALLY talented young woman and performer, I just didn’t enjoy her portrayal of the character of Glinda.
I enjoyed her entrance and her first couple of lines, though her “that was rhetorical” was condescending, which I didn’t really understand… because at this point, Glinda’s beyond being condescending… She’s actually trying to be good. I felt it to be downhill from there. Her voice just didn’t deliver for “No One Mourns the Wicked.” It sounded airy, hollow, and soft. Don’t get me wrong… it’s pretty, there just wasn’t any power there. There were also a lot of unmotivated hand and arm movements that I didn’t understand, particularly when she was up in the bubble. She spaces the lines a little differently when asked about being friends with Elphaba, though, which I liked. Her “Dear Old Shiz” scene was over-the-top… lots of antics that didn’t really seem to fit, and her delivery of the “Something’s wrong… need to lie down” lines was really over-the-top.
“Dancing Through Life” was another example of this, and her reaction to the training wand… it was just kind of like a small child and not like a spoiled rich girl. I don’t know, maybe it’s just because it was so very different than what I’ve seen before, but I’ve seen lots of different ways, and this one just didn’t seem to fit. The thing that bothered me most in all of Act I, though, was the fact that she turned the Elphaba dance into a comedic moment. She WAY overdid the movements in a very deliberate manner and had the audience laughing in a moment where we’re not supposed to be in stitches, we’re supposed to be drawn in as this dynamic between Elphaba and Glinda begins to change and Glinda begins to develop a heart.
“Popular” came along, and her “Fiyero and I are going to be married” was, again, over-the-top in a way that seemed to be going for laughs. I did like her “He doesn’t know yet” quite a bit, though. As I said, there were screams all throughout “Popular” that just felt out of place and often came seemingly out of nowhere. She also does a full split on “all because of me” which I didn’t care for in the matinee but really enjoyed in the evening. It may have been because I was more receptive to her in the evening for reasons I will explain in the evening review. I will say, though, that she has the BEST second “ballgown.” It was AWESOME. I also really enjoyed her reaction when the wand didn’t work both times. Katie still owns the prepping for the second “Ballgown,” but Heléne owned the line itself, drawing it out REALLY long and making the “n” a completely separate syllable. It was HILARIOUS!
She spaces the lines in the train station scene differently, which I didn’t care for in the matinee but really grew to like in the evening. However, I was turned back off by her “This must be what other people feel like. How do they bear it?” It was like she popped totally out of character to make the observation. As I type this, I’m beginning to see where that actually makes sense, since Glinda makes a separate and brand new realization at that point but, at the time, I really didn’t care for it. There’s really not much to report during “One Short Day” or “A Sentimental Man,” aside from the fact that her wizomania scene bothered me, particularly her line delivery. I found her mannerisms during the “wicked witch” speech in “Defying Gravity” very distracting, particularly since Morrible was not onstage and all attention was focused visibly on the reactions of Carrie and Heléne. It was very reminiscent of what Kate Reinders would do there, with the over-the-top shaking and overdramatic line delivery. It almost kills the moment (but Marcie and Carrie both have stellar deliveries of “I’m not. It’s the wizard who should be afraid of me” to save the moment). I also don’t really understand why she doesn’t scream “Elphie” right before the second “It’s me.” Just something that bothers me… I think it really takes away from the moment when it isn’t there.… I just wish she’d do it and can’t imagine why she wouldn’t unless the production team told her not to... except every other Glinda does, so I can't imagine that would be the case.
The second act began, and things were not looking up. The spoken lines before “Thank Goodness” were completely sardonic and overplayed, and they just didn’t gel. However, once Colin and she stepped off of the podium and began their interaction, her acting for the rest of the scene DRASTICALLY improved. For the first time in the show, I felt she handled the moment well on the whole. She gave a beautiful and nuanced rendition of the song with some nice acting, and her voice sounded INCREDIBLE. Despite the couple of minor things I liked in the second act, this is the first time that I didn’t NOT like Heléne’s Glinda.
Then “Wonderful” came along… and we hit another drop on the roller coaster. When she suggested that they use Nessa to get to Elphaba, there was cruelty in her voice. But she wasn’t sad. She put aside the sadness from Elphaba and Fiyero running off together literally fifteen seconds before and was very deliberate and meticulous in what she told Morrible and the Wizard to do. Pretty “I’m Not That Girl (reprise).” She really does have an absolutely beautiful voice.
I did really enjoy her in the Fallen House scene. In particular, her “be encouraging” was perfect, and she does a battle cry as she twirls the wand that is HYSTERICAL. Some of her broad arm motions toward the end of the scene seemed a little unmotivated, but it was good overall. For the rest of the show, she was fantastic. I don’t know what happened, but there was a total transformation. She was strong during “March of the Witch Hunters,” and her line delivery during the Kiamo Ko scene was particularly fresh and inspired. In particular, I LOVED that she left a big pause between “They’re just shoes” and “Let it go.” I’d never heard it done that way before, but I think it’s my favorite way I’ve ever heard the line delivered. She sounded GORGEOUS during “For Good,” and the finale scene was EXCELLENT. She mimicked Marilyn perfectly, and I just loved her line delivery and her acting throughout the entire final scene. My one “eh” moment in the finale was when she was up in the bubble. When she said “I’d like to try to help”, she left a LONG pause in between “try” and “to help,” which sounded kind of weird. Great voice and nice end to the show overall, though.
Despite her lovely second half of the second act, the first ¾ of the show left me with a VERY sour taste in my mouth for the show as a whole. As I said, she’s phenomenally talented, but it just didn’t work for me in this performance, and I left thoroughly disappointed. Had I not seen her again in the evening, I would have walked away very disenchanted with Heléne’s Glinda.
Carrie:
Before I begin talking Carrie, let me first say that I wish so badly that I could go back and relive this performance so that I could absorb more of hers. I feel like I didn’t take nearly as much away as I could have due to a number of factors. First of all, I was still upset that Marcie was out and couldn’t really even get my mind into the show until sometime around “Something Bad.” I also spent a significant amount of time in the matinee scheming as to how I could find out if Marcie would be on for the evening and, if so, how I could go about procuring three tickets for the evening and convincing my companions to give the show another go and not get back to Houston until 3:00 AM for the sake of seeing Marcie. Then I was so dismayed by so many of the performances in the first act… with it all wrapped together, I just couldn’t keep my mind “in the game” so to speak and my focus on Carrie throughout most of the show, but I’ll do the best I can to recollect her.
NOW, having said all that… she is just wonderful! A GORGEOUS voice… she has a wonderful, youthful voice like Coleen, but without Coleen’s control issues and with much more power. In addition, her voice has a lovely bell tone to it that’s quite wonderful to hear. In comparing her to Marcie, my observation is that, while Marcie has the power voice that can blast you back in your seat but be beautiful and melodic (and can sound good making substantial changes to the score… although she doesn’t at all), Carrie’s voice is crystalline and breathtakingly tender and better fit to stick to the score with subtle variations and intonations.
Carrie’s entrance was well-handled, as was her reaction to the Shiz students. I enjoyed her opening lines (though I don’t know that I admitted it to myself at the time since I was so upset she was on. She started quite intense and defensive and pretty much bit everyone’s heads off with her opening lines… there was, however, a small break in her voice during the “perfectly normal color” line, and her “I know… to look after Nessa” was SO defeated and destroyed that it completely disarmed what looked at first like it would be a one-note, angry portrayal. Her “beautifully tragic” line was organic… she actually made it sound like she was searching for the words. On the room assignment line, she placed the emphasis on “our room assignments,” which worked well. Carrie has a lot of these very subtle touches that make the lines sound very fresh and original. When she was roomed with Glinda, there was clear agony in her voice when she said that she’d promised her father… as though she were still trying to win his affection on some level and couldn’t let Nessa be taken away against his wishes.
“The Wizard and I” was stunning. As I said, her voice is so crystalline and ringing, so it worked perfectly for this song. She has a lot of nice subtle little trills and intonations throughout the song… honestly, this song sounds like it was written for her voice because it works so well. I can’t say much for her facials throughout the song as I was so high up, but I can say that her mannerisms worked really well throughout. She does the high “things I’VE never felt,” but unlike most, she holds the high note for the longest out of all of them. The only thing I noticed was the ending… when she did the up not on the last “I-IIII,” there was a subtle near-slip, though she didn’t actually lose the note or go off-key or anything.
Can’t really remember her performance in “What Is This Feeling?,” but I do remember noting that her booty-bump on Heléne seemed not to be strong enough, because Heléne didn’t budge (which she did when Marcie did it on the evening show). During the classroom scene, her lines about Galinda’s name were just a shade too angry for my tastes, but the rest of the scene was lovely. There was an earnestness in her voice that showed that this was one of the few places where she was able to flourish, so she wanted to be as best she could.
The second classroom scene was lovely, and I especially loved how she handled the reaction to Fiyero during the toss-tosses. She sounded so startled, scared, and accusatory at the same time when she asked why the cub was shaking. Overall, her performance in this scene was one that conveyed how very concerned she was for the Animals… she sounded so frightened and devastated by the prospect of what could happen to them. (PS – Can I just take a moment here to mention that I think Don Richard is way overrated? I just didn’t enjoy him in this scene at all. He was okay at the Witch’s father… but here it just didn’t work for me.) Skipping ahead to the lion cub scene… her line delivery was GREAT, especially when she was walking all over Fiyero’s… great build and intensity, and she placed the emphasis on the lines very well. And I loved her “No you’re not, or you wouldn’t be so unhappy.” She added a little laugh to “No, I do” when Fiyero was about to run away. Her “I didn’t mean to frighten him” was so affected… it was just lovely! BEAUTIFUL performance of “I’m Not That Girl.” Again with the subtle little intonations that work in the moment, don’t distract, and just fit perfectly into the naturally melody of the song. The only thing was that the end note was not there at all.
Train station is a blur… I honestly don’t remember anything about Carrie at all from that scene. However, I LOVED her vocals in “One Short Day”… she actually added two riffs that fit perfectly into the score and I felt added so much! She did a downward slide on “day” in “I’ll be back for good someday” and a trill/warble on “enjoy” that harmonized beautifully with Heléne. She emphasized the “I” in “I belong”… which I’m not entirely sure I liked. But again, she’s just so darn sincere and sentimental with her acting! The rest of it was just great.
“A Sentimental Man” came along… and her line delivery was a bit weird right after she finished the song and before she had to “prove herself.” The spell casting (which sounded beautiful because of that killer voice) and subsequent Chistery reaction was solid… nothing special or out of the ordinary, but solid. After Morrible delivered the “perfect spies” line, Carrie’s voice broke when she said “spies”. Again, it was so beautiful the way she emphasized her empathy for the Animals. She communicated such disbelief and then conviction in all of her realization lines.
As they ran on for “Defying Gravity,” my friend leaned forward and said she couldn’t wait to hear Carrie sing it… and was she justified in her excitement! Carrie’s lines were delivered desperately as she searched for something to barricade the door. It was great! Her “I’m not. It’s the Wizard who should be afraid of me” was perfect (just like Marcie’s)… subtle, yet so so powerful in its subtlety. The first two verses were lovely, though she does an odd thing during “Defying Gravity” and “No Good Deed” where she kind of lets her voice go up and out at the end of lines. I like it in moderation, but it just feels like she does it a bit too much. The second verse is one of the dealbreakers for me with an Elphaba, and Carrie DELIVERED. Her mannerisms fit perfectly (though I did feel she moved her body a bit too much). I know I’ve mentioned before that I prefer “never know” to be sung to score, but the way she sang it was so full and convicted that I loved it despite the fact that it wasn’t the score. She does the higher “too long I’ve BEEN afraid” that Caissie did and Marcie and Donna do, which sounded just beautiful. She also does the slide up on the second “defying gravity.” Nothing out of the ordinary to report for the middle section. Now, the flying portion… Carrie’s lines leading up to rising are GREAT, and her “It’s me” is big, beautiful, clear, and powerful. Her “So if you care to find me” is spaced the same way that Stephanie and Marcie space the line. I liked the delivery of “Look to the western sky” with the exception of the “sky” riff, which I found a bit messy. She does the Shoshana warble on “deserves” (yay!), but I feel like her “to fly” is a little thrown away. There’s such sadness in her voice when she backs off the volume and sings “if I’m flying solo”… it’s just great! She reached to Heléne for the whole “tell them how I…” line, and her high F was glorious. The big ending notes were perfect… just perfect. The one thing, though, is that Carrie is SO short, so the lift effect isn’t quite the same… She isn’t tall enough to cover the back vertical bar on the levitator, so you can see it the entire time she’s in the air behind her.
All right, now “Wicked Witch of the East”…. To me, this is a crucial scene for any Elphaba, and I think it’s the one that really separates the women from the girls as far as Elphabas go. Why? Because this is the establishing scene for the “new Elphaba.” Beyond that, it’s not a scene in which she is the center of attention, but one in which she still must command the stage and appear to be in control of herself even though she’s not in control of what’s happening around her in the governor’s mansion… it’s that inner control that allows her to transform Boq to save him. Carrie, while strong, did not have that command. Don’t get me wrong, she was good… I just knew that I was seeing a cover, and not the woman who leads this production. Her line delivery was top-notch, however. Really, I can’t say enough about how perfect and spot-on her line deliveries and sincerity were. Her “Nothing ever will be” to Nessa was excellently biting.
GREAT interaction with Tom in “Wonderful,” and she sounded so profoundly betrayed. One thing, though… when she said, “Dr. Dillamond, it’s me, Elphaba,” she pronounced it “Alphaba.” Her “fight you till the day I die” was original… there was something about the way it was spaced that was different, but it worked. She sounded so relieved when Fiyero came in, shocked when he shunned her, and devastated when she said, “Fiyero, not you too” Honestly, again… such sincere and heartfelt line deliveries.
Not too much to report with “As Long As You’re Mine,” aside from the fact that it sounded absolutely gorgeous. I really liked the way she said, “For the first time, I feel wicked” overall, though I wish she wouldn’t have put as many pauses in it as she did. Great delivery throughout the Fallen House scene, and “No Good Deed” featured stellar vocals and wonderful acting. She seemed so agonized, and the bridge when she says their names sounded so choked up right up until she unleashed her big “Fiyero,” which she riffed to the high note at full vibrato. LOVED her “I’m wicked through and through,” and the echo effect was perfectly timed.
As far as the Kiamo Ko scene goes, Carrie had different and original line deliveries once again. Occasionally, it seems like her diction gets a little too precise to be realistic or natural, but that aside, it’s always very believable. She did a weird spacing thing on “I… surrender” that I wasn’t a fan of, but her ensuing dialogue with Glinda was great. She starts on a higher note on the “I’m” in “I’m limited,” which I found interesting, but more effective since it’s typically so hard to hear that word sung. “For Good” on the whole was just breathtakingly beautifully. She has an absolutely gorgeous rendition of it. LOVED her melting scream, too!
The finale was good… again, nothing special, but good.
So… overall opinions. I LOVED Carrie. However, I recall people on here mentioning that they wouldn’t be surprised if Carrie took over for Marcie, particularly if Marcie were moved early to a different production because she had gotten great reviews on here. Firstly, reviews on here don’t amount to anything in terms of a performer’s place in the show. Secondly, I don’t believe she’s ready to hold down the production just yet. As I said, she’s PHENOMENAL, and I imagine that anyone who saw her would enjoy her in some respect. However, she’s still a bit green. There are still points in the show where you can tell she’s waiting for her cue to proceed with the next step in her blocking. It’s not a full flow yet, although it very nearly is. In addition, she’s still finding her own vocally, as you can tell by the fact that there are a couple of riffs (okay, one… the “sky” one) that are rough and don’t seem to quite gel with the rest of what she’s doing. Beyond that, as I mentioned, she still lacks that “I am this production’s Elphaba and I lead this show” quality, but it’s not far off. Please don’t think I’m criticizing her by any means. She is, in my opinion, WORLDS better than some of the lead Elphabas, even some who are playing right now. The thing is, I think she’s SO good that I think it would be a shame if she were ever thrown into the lead before she had reached a point that she would need to in order to be more than a technically solid lead who can deliver performances that will please the average audience member who only sees the show once. She could actually probably do far more than that now… but she has such potential to be one of the best Elphabas ever (period) that she should have a bit more time to completely define every single minute little aspect of her role.
All in all, I’m SO glad I got to see Carrie, though I wish I would have been in a better mood so that I could have absorbed more. I would jump so very quickly at the chance to see Carrie again!
TRANSITION TO EVENING SHOW:
So, in my anger about not getting to see Marcie, I got the idea around “Popular” to try to lotto for the evening or scrounge up nosebleed tickets if we could find out that she was on. I ran the idea by my sister and my friend at intermission, and they were both cool with it, so we decided that we would try to figure out at stage door if the evening would be a Carrie show or a Marcie show.
Well, let me be more exact… THEY stage doored, because it was a hundred degrees and I was burning up, so I hung out under the shade of a tree while they stood in the heat awaiting autographs. We were excited to learn (from Colin, and then they both yelled my name and shot thumbs-ups) that Marcie would “had every intention of going on for the evening.” I wanted to be sure, so when Carrie came out, I did go over to compliment her unbelievable voice, and I also asked her if she’d be on for the evening. She said that she would likely be on for the next day’s matinee, but Marcie was already at the theater and her family was there to see the evening performance, so barring any act of God, Marcie would be on. I was thrilled.
We made a beeline for lotto and all entered lotto. Then my sister and I both pulled up ticketmaster on our iPhone and MyTouch (respectively), found nosebleed seats, and prepped to hit “Purchase” should the need arise. They called the first nineteen of the twenty seats… and it wasn’t any of us. Then, for the very last ticket, our friend won! My sister and I scrambled to get the tickets purchased, but before we could, someone else who had won came back and said, “Oh woops, we accidentally got one extra. Here you go!” The lotto people drew another name for that ticket, and it was my sister’s! As they paid for their tickets, I kept hitting “Purchase” for the nosebleed seat on my phone, but it kept rejecting me, even though I knew all the information was correct. Around the time that it rejected me for the fifth time, I thought to myself “Oh wow… it’s rejecting me because I’m totally somehow going to get a lotto ticket.” Sure enough, no sooner had I thought that, then someone else came up and said, “Oh, I’m sorry… we accidentally got an extra ticket too.” By this time, most everyone had left. They kept drawing names, but no one was there, and the few who were left all had won tickets. They finally asked if there was anyone without a ticket, I raised my hand, and they said, “We’ll keep drawing until we get your name.” I was thrilled… They drew my name, I paid for my ticket, and I prepared and thrilled beyond words with the blessing that I would get to see Marcie from the 2nd row, and in a show where her family was there to see her at that, so she would surely give an even more incredible performance than usual!
Evening review, comments on the 2nd National Tour itself, and other random things to come in Part 2 as soon as I finish writing the Marcie section of that review.