Your Wicked, Wicked Ways!

We had a fantastic time last night and I'm hoping that we can make it a monthly event now!


We started out at 6pm and decided that, for a treat, we'd eat at Maestro's Cafe which is located in the lobby of the Performing Arts Center in downtown Tampa. I was expecting to cry when the bill came at the end of the meal, but it was surprisingly cheap! I was only $22.50 for a full buffet- the whole cost came out to less that what I spent this weekend at dinner.

From there we wandered the 100 yards to our seats and were ready to see the the show from the second row! In the beginning I was skeptical being so close to the stage, but I was enthralled by about the second line of the musical and I hardly noticed that we were close enough to the orchestra to be hit with the conductors baton...









Wicked, The Musical was nothing like I expected. The book (which I read about a year ago) was very difficult for me to get through and it was filled with underlying issues and political/social demise, and I was hesitant about seeing it performed on stage. I didn't have to worry at all, however; there was some familiarity about the production but on the whole it was a totally different experience mentally. What an amazingly wonderful piece of Broadway right here in Tampa Bay!

To be honest, it's hard for me to enjoy musicals because I'm constantly critiquing the performers (I suppose that's true when you're entwined in any sort of professional aspect of what you're watching/participating), but by the time the first song began I was hooked. A combination of fantastic stage scenery, great consumes, and fanstic voices made this a truly wonderful experience. Surprising me the most, I think, was the performance of Glinda. I was expecting a very superficial part, but she ended up being a spotlight role and she delivered a powerful vocal punch.

I would highly recommend seeing Wicked, the Musical to anyone who wants to be amazed and enthralled for an evening. If you only see one show this year, make it this one!

" Long before Dorothy dropped in, two other girls meet in the Land of Oz. One, born with emerald-green skin, is smart, fiery and misunderstood. The other is beautiful, ambitious and very popular. How these two unlikely friends end up as the Wicked Witch of the West and Glinda the Good Witch makes for the most spellbinding new musical in years.

WICKED, the untold story of the witches of Oz, features music and lyrics by Stephen Schwartz (Godspell, Pippin, Academy Award winner for Pocahontas and The Prince of Egypt) and book by Winnie Holzman ("My So Called Life," "Once And Again" and "thirtysomething"), and is based on the best-selling novel by Gregory Maguire. With musical staging by Tony Award winner Wayne Cilento (Aida, The Who's Tommy, How To Succeed...), WICKED is directed by 2003 and 2004 Tony Award winner Joe Mantello (Assassins, Take Me Out, Frankie & Johnny in the Clair de Lune)."
Running time for the show is 2 hours and 30 minutes, plus a 15-minute intermission

Perk up the Coffee

I love flavored coffee!


Now that I'm on this diet I have to cut back on fats so I picked up some Coffee-Mate at Publix. The one I chose was the Sugar Free Vanilla Caramel which "Now the irresistible taste of indulgent caramel and rich vanilla comes to you both sweet and sugar free. Sugar Free Vanilla Caramel is a decadent treat that evokes the flavors of "Dulce de Leche," a favored dessert in Mexico & Latin America."

Wow! I didn't think I'd like it as much as I did, but it's fantastic! I don't even have to add any sweeters to it.