TRAVEL FUN

We took our cousins home.  :-(  We already miss them.

Singing in the Car - selfie

But the trip was fun.  Kotten Kandy and I spent the entire trip listening to musicals.  We "watched" them using our imaginations.  And we talked about them.  And we reviewed them.  I love having a daughter that loves musical theater as much as I do.  So I decided to share what musicals we listened to and some of our thoughts about them.  I'll go in the order we listened to them....

First we listened to Pippin.  I first saw Pippin at Ricks College.  (Yes, I know it's now BYU-I.)  It was incredibly life-changing to me.  I could relate to the title character.  I, too, had felt that I was "extraordinary," but I wasn't sure why.  I knew that the only thing truly "fulfilling" was love.... but I wasn't sure, at the time, if love was going to be a part of my life.  (I hadn't met Scott yet.)
I REALLY love this musical.  I also really like Ben Vereen who played the narrator.  He is an amazing talent!
Kotten Kandy said her favorite song from this show is "Love Song."  Why?  Because she thinks it is one of the sweetest love songs ever.  It is.

Stephen Schwartz is my all time favorite musical composer.  Besides writing Pippin, he also wrote another favorite of mine:  Children of Eden.  That was the next show we "watched."  I once heard an interview with Stephen Schwartz where he said that this was probably his favorite show that he wrote.
Children of Eden is the story from Genesis.  It isn't doctrinally sound... but I love it non-the-less.  I LOVE it when they name the animals starting with aardvark and including a unicorn.  Kotten Kandy loves "Lost in the Wilderness" because it has a driving beat.  The Snake's song in the Garden of Eden is also fun!  Scott and I saw this show live in Las Vegas.  It was great!

So... Kotten Kandy and I decided to stay with the Stephen Schwartz theme and moved on to the musical Godspell.  I LOVE the music from this show also.  But don't see the Broadway show.  It is not reverent or even uplifting.  I saw it at Mesa State College years ago and they did a good job and were respectful....  Interesting to note: this show is about the Savior and is written by a Jew.  My favorite song is "We Beseech Thee," because I love the non-sense section in the middle of it.  Kotten Kandy loves the opening song because of the message:  "Prepare Ye the Way of the Lord!"

We then finished listening to our Stephen Schwartz musicals with Wicked.  Is there any show better?  This musical came out in 2003.  My girls were 3 and 4 years old.  They fell in love with the idea of two best friends who were both "good."  (Elphaba, the "wicked" witch is "just a misunderstood, green girl.")  Kotten Kandy used to sing all of Glinda's parts, while Key Lime Pie sang Elphaba's role.  I have wonderful memories of my young daughters singing their hearts out to this soundtrack.  I also think "For Good" is one of the most poignant songs I've ever heard.  I absolutely love the lyrics and message.

Since Easter is this weekend, we moved on to Andrew Lloyd Webber's musical, Jesus Christ Superstar.  My father showed me this musical at a young age so as to teach us what SOME other religions believe about Christ.  Some of the music is really profound and helps draw me closer to my Savior.  The song "Can We Start Again, Please?" makes me cry every time.  I think I would be asking the same thing if I had been one of Jesus' disciples back then.  Kotten Kandy loves the song "Everything's Alright."

Les Miserables is one of my all time favorite musicals, although it's gotten almost TOO popular for me.  Does that even make sense?  Kotten Kandy and I have both read the unabridged book.  It's HUGE!  But it makes the musical even better when you have read the story.  I love the message of the musical:  redemption and repentance are possible.

We decided to listen to Grease next.  Why?  Because the music is fun and after listening to such "heavy" musicals we needed to "lighten up."  There is nothing better than jamming to "You're the One That I Want" with your daughter!  (Side note:  Scott said that I reminded him of Olivia Newton John as the innocent Sandy when we got married.)

The Music Man was next on our list.  I know some people are "purest" and like the 1962 film, but my girls and I prefer Matthew Broderick's version in 2003.  It makes us smile and want to sing barbershop!

Sweeney Todd was next.  From happy and innocent to raving mad and scary.  But Kotten Kandy and I think this musical is funny in a sick and twisted way.  Kotten Kandy likes the song from the above picture: "By the Sea."  I like the song about eating priests, and violinists.  It makes me laugh.

We then moved on to Dracula.  Both of us have read this novel also.  The music, especially the violin solos, are haunting and beautiful!  Our favorite song is "The Master's Song" sung by a crazy man named Renfield.  It's, well, crazy.  :-)

We decided to listen to more Andrew Lloyd Webber after Dracula.  So we put in Evita.  I liked Evita before the movie version, but the film cemented my love.  I was surprised how good Madonna was in the movie, but the real reason I like the film = Antonio Banderas.  He can sing, act and has an accent!  He's a triple threat!  I love it when he sings "And the Money Keeps Rolling In."  Kotten Kandy loves the song "What's New Buenas Aires?"

Have you heard of the musical Curtains?  I hadn't.  But I knew David Hyde Pierce starred in it on Broadway, so I purchased the soundtrack.  It's silly and fun!  My favorite song is "We Are a Tough Act to Follow."  Kotten Kandy likes "Show People."

As our quick trip drew to an end, we decided to listen to Oliver.  The 1960s show is still as wonderful as ever in our minds.  But we decided to "recast" it for our own movie (And I hope someone somewhere reads our casting of the show so we can have this musical made professionally.  :-)

Artful Dodger:  Daniel Huttlestone

Fagin:  Sacha Baron Cohen

Mr. Bumble: Johnny Depp

Nancy and/or Nancy's Friend: Anne Hathaway and/or Amy Adams

The rest can be cast by Hollywood!  :-)

So now you know how we travel.  It was loads of fun singing and spending time with my sweet, youngest daughter.  And I LOVE sharing musicals!