No idea if I said that properly, but at least I tried! But first, to London...
I'm usually rather an expert on the native language there, but at the moment I'm not sure that the English lexicon contains words that will suitably encompass the amazingness of the past few days. Life is just brilliant, you know? I'm still shocked at the frequency with which I have moments that completely take my breath away, moments where all my brain can think is "How did I get here? How did I get so lucky? How is this my life?"
The most recent collection of these thoughts began on Monday, the date of our last excursion to Oktoberfest. Noelle joined us once again, so we could have a last hurrah together before we left Munich for Budapest. We ended up in a tent that's supposedly known for having cheap beer and young people (the two tend to go together, dontcha know!). It was quite obviously one of the lesser tents at the festival. Noelle and Jon ordered beers, and I stuck with a flask of a Bailey's wannabe we'd bought earlier. It appears to have been a good idea... Jon and Noelle both said the beer was terrible. Not that they managed to consume a whole lot of it - drunk people kept falling on the table and knocking drinks over!! Noelle's attentions were quickly commandeered by a middle-aged man (Noelle and I both tried to explain to Jon that he wasn't so bad looking for an "older gentleman," but he wasn't having any of it!) and I was being entertained by two moderately cute German boys. They said it was a shame that I had a boyfriend , and asked if I was talking to them because he's boring. :) We rocked out to some "I Love Rock 'n' Roll," "We Will Rock You," and - Lord have mercy upon us - some more "Sweet Home Alabama" before the tent closed for the night. We picked up a last caipirinha and ended the night at a strange rotating bar. I'm not quite sure who's brilliant idea it was to put drunk people on a rotating platform...
A bunch of Noelle's friends joined us and decided to take us to a bar they like, so we walked for ages trying to get there. The bar, once we finally arrived, was cute, but packed. We didn't stay for long, and instead went back to our apartment to finish up the Bailey's substitute, gabbing away late into the night.
And with that, we found ourselves living our very last day in Munich! We got our final bratwurst at the market, and made a trip to the post office to mail some books home. We spent the evening at Green Leaf to say our farewells to Noelle, after enjoying our last camembert and bread. I've added her on Facebook, so hopefully we'll keep in touch...
After Munich came the moment I've been giddy about all week - our one night stay in London! :D We got up very early in the AM - it was still dark! - and made our way to the airport. One short flight, one pasty, one train ride to Victoria Station, and one cab trip past Buckingham and Trafalgar later, and we had arrived at the Waldorf Hilton, our 5-star accommodations for our stay in London! :) I wished so badly that I had my girlfriends around!!! I wanted to jump up and down and scream and be girly with someone because that night - that wonderful, legendary, epic night - was the night I had tickets to see John Barrowman in La Cage Aux Folles. :) Brilliant, no?
We grabbed food at a pub around the corner (mmm...tasty English fish and chips!) and then went home to get ready. Because let's face it - when you're going to see Barrowman and you know that there's the slight chance you might be blessed with the opportunity to be in his sacred presence after the show, you want to look your best! Even Jon made an effort...Armani shirt, leather pants, and a little glitter! Combine that with my artful make up application, vintage-looking heels, and Monroe-inspired dress, and we were pure Barrowman bait. ;) I so loved that Jon was getting into the spirit of things! He would even periodically shout "Oh my God, JOHN BARROWMAN!!" at me in his best girl voice. :) The theatre was, fortunately, just up the street, so we high-tailed it out of our hotel and scrambled to the venue. Heaven help the person who got in my way and made me miss curtain!
We arrived just in time, and had the pleasant discovery that our seats were balcony, front row, just off center - perfect. Our neightbors to the left were an old couple with southern US accents and I kept wondering if they were aware of the content of the show for which they had purchased tickets! :) They survived...or, at least, they didn't leave grumbling about morality, anyway!
I don't know what to say abut the show...it was incredible. It was the best theatre I've seen in ages. Nathan Lane was pretty much born to play that part, but Barrowman was a close second. He just looked like he was having so much fun!! It made me miss doing theatre so much...
I spent the entire show sitting on the edge of my seat, laughing like crazy, often with my hand clapped over my mouth because I couldn't believe how ridiculous the spectacle on stage was. The Cagelles, the guys playing the drag queen chorus, were so fun and full of life. The guy playing the butler was the perfect over-actor. And Barrowman...there are no words for him. Sparkly dresses, heels, wigs, and enough rhinestones to bedazzle Big Ben. His voice is to die for...
I think I nearly expired right there in the theatre, hearing him sing "I Am What I Am" live! What an unforgettable moment...it's one of my favorite songs he does. It just has such a good message, and it sounds so Me. I think Jon got an audio recording of it. I haven't tested it yet, to see if it worked, but *crosses fingers*. Barrowman also wandered around for a while in frilly underwear and a corset, and in a short, sexy nightie. It takes a brave man to pull that off! Though it will be rather difficult to watch him play an action hero again without giggling. :)
Favorite moments, beyond the performance of "I Am What I Am," included Barrowman trying (and mostly failing) to dance like a woman, the classic "teaching Albin to play it straight" scene, Barrowman flashing the front row, and the way that amazing man looked in the final scene - black tuxedo pants (with sparkles in the stripes!) and a plain white button-down shirt. So simple, but completely stunning on him. I think if the scene lasted any longer, I would have melted into a gooey puddle of slush on the floor!
Oh! And then there was the scene where he broke down in a fit of giggles...unprofessional in anyone else, completely adorable and endearing in him. :)
The show ended with a thunderous crashing of applause (even from Jon, who never claps at shows, so I know he enjoyed it way more than he expected to!) and smiles throughout the theatre. We exited the building and decided to hunt down the stage door. I hate being an obnoxious fangirl, but how many times in my life will I have the opportunity to say hi to John Barrowman? To see the patented Barrowman smile, up close and in person? We joined the excited throng and soon the man of the hour arrived in our midst. He was clearly very exhausted, but he was very sweet to everyone. He signed every autograph he was asked for, and chatted with anyone who wanted to talk. I give him a lot of credit for that! He signed my program, and was utterly delightful when I chatted with him.
We considered asking for hugs (Jon included!), but La Barrowman looked so wiped out that I didn't want to harrass him anymore. Too bad...would have loved a pic of Jon and John hugging! :) We ended the night with a martini and fell -oh-so-contentedly - fast asleep.
How on earth did this happen to me?! What could I have possibly done to earn enough good karma points that the universe allowed me to fly to London - just for one night! - to see John Barrowman being amazing? In such a great show? And then to meet him afterwards?!
*sigh*
Life is great. :)
I think I nearly expired right there in the theatre, hearing him sing "I Am What I Am" live! What an unforgettable moment...it's one of my favorite songs he does. It just has such a good message, and it sounds so Me. I think Jon got an audio recording of it. I haven't tested it yet, to see if it worked, but *crosses fingers*. Barrowman also wandered around for a while in frilly underwear and a corset, and in a short, sexy nightie. It takes a brave man to pull that off! Though it will be rather difficult to watch him play an action hero again without giggling. :)
Favorite moments, beyond the performance of "I Am What I Am," included Barrowman trying (and mostly failing) to dance like a woman, the classic "teaching Albin to play it straight" scene, Barrowman flashing the front row, and the way that amazing man looked in the final scene - black tuxedo pants (with sparkles in the stripes!) and a plain white button-down shirt. So simple, but completely stunning on him. I think if the scene lasted any longer, I would have melted into a gooey puddle of slush on the floor!
Oh! And then there was the scene where he broke down in a fit of giggles...unprofessional in anyone else, completely adorable and endearing in him. :)
The show ended with a thunderous crashing of applause (even from Jon, who never claps at shows, so I know he enjoyed it way more than he expected to!) and smiles throughout the theatre. We exited the building and decided to hunt down the stage door. I hate being an obnoxious fangirl, but how many times in my life will I have the opportunity to say hi to John Barrowman? To see the patented Barrowman smile, up close and in person? We joined the excited throng and soon the man of the hour arrived in our midst. He was clearly very exhausted, but he was very sweet to everyone. He signed every autograph he was asked for, and chatted with anyone who wanted to talk. I give him a lot of credit for that! He signed my program, and was utterly delightful when I chatted with him.
We considered asking for hugs (Jon included!), but La Barrowman looked so wiped out that I didn't want to harrass him anymore. Too bad...would have loved a pic of Jon and John hugging! :) We ended the night with a martini and fell -oh-so-contentedly - fast asleep.
* * *
How on earth did this happen to me?! What could I have possibly done to earn enough good karma points that the universe allowed me to fly to London - just for one night! - to see John Barrowman being amazing? In such a great show? And then to meet him afterwards?!
*sigh*
Life is great. :)
* * *
Oh, and here is Barrowman singing "I Am What I Am" - you're missing out if you haven't heard it yet!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mGrQ8e2mFck
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mGrQ8e2mFck
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