"No One Mourns The Wicked"; I only mourned when it was over

I got tickets for something SO AWESOME that it alone is what caused Brent to come out of retirement.

I'm sure it had NOTHING to do with the fact that we were going to attend the show with his B-school friend and his friend's wife OR that the event was going to be preceded with a dinner at one of our favorite NYC restaurants OR that the evening was going to end at one of our favorite bars.

But let's be honest - who cares what the reason is that caused Brent to be OK with spending an ungodly amount of money on Broadway tickets for the two of us and our couple friend because...

I FINALLY GOT TO SEE WICKED!!!!!

And. It. Was. A!M!A!Z!I!N!G!

I have wanted to see this Broadway show since the first day I stepped foot in New York City. Not a single person whom I've talked to about it had anything less than awesome things to say about it, save the price of the tickets, which are never at the discounted theater tickets booths (and why should they be if people are willing to pay *gulp* full price for them?).

So not surprisingly, I was thrilled when Brent's buddy called to tell him that he and his wife were going to be in town and that she wanted to see the show, and would we like to go with them?

HELL YEAH!

I even volunteered to get the tickets (this way Brent couldn't weasel out of going - I thought of everything). Since there were terrible seats when I browsed around on Ticketmaster, I not-so-reluctantly decided to actually go to the theater to see if I could get anything better. I'm a bit ashamed to admit that I couldn't hide my giddiness when standing just in the lobby of the Gershwin Theater. Yeah, there might be no place like home, but leave me in that theater any day!

Fate must have seen how excited I was because when I asked the ticket guy what he had available for the date our friends were going to be in town, I had to ask him to repeat what he said.

"I got four tickets in Row B. You want 'em?" he said again.

"Row B where?" I asked, thinking it was in the balcony while trying not to let myself hope that it was right behind the Row A that is directly in front of the stage.

"Right here," he said, pointing at the Row B on the orchestra level. As in the one DIRECTLY IN FRONT OF THE STAGE (albeit on the right side of the stage, and not in the center, but WHO CARES?)

"Yes. I will take them," I said, grinning and already dialing Brent to tell him to call his friend Brian and have him pass along the good news to his wife, Elizabeth.

The hardest part after that glorious moment was waiting - but it gave me something to look forward to for three weeks.

After yet another fantastic dinner at one of our neighborhood Italian restaurants, Bocca di Bacco, which is, apparently, a favorite of Bono's, we cut it a bit close and rushed into the theater moments before the lights dimmed and I sat through what would turn out the be the best three hours E.V.E.R.

For those of you who have yet to see the show - and don't worry, I wouldn't dream of ruining it for you - it's told from the perspective of the witches of Oz before Dorothy's arrival from Kansas, and it includes many well-known scenes and dialogue ("there's no place like home," anyone?) from The Wizard of Oz. I loved "discovering" how the scarecrow and tin man came to be, how Galinda became Glinda, etc.

My only complaint? That it was tainted only by my husband reminding me of when the show would be over: "That's song number 10," he'd whisper in the middle of the crescendo of a song on a CD I'd soon be buying, causing me to not-so-successfully SHHHHHHH!!! him. "That means there are only seven more left." Etc.

But I expect it from him. Apparently I do the same thing in the middle of, say, the Super Bowl: "It's third down with 10 seconds left. There's probably only time for one play before halftime and we can talk again!" Etc.

Needless to say, I will be going back to see this musical anytime anyone wants to go see it - and even if no one else wants to go see it. It definitely didn't disappoint.

And apparently the show isn't too "girly," as proven to Brent when we emerged from the theater the same time as Brook Lopez, the center for the New Jersey Nets. (I'll regretfully admit that he was with two tween-ish girls, most likely his daughters). But nonetheless - Brent's perspective: If it's good enough for a professional athlete, I guess it's not all that bad. My perspective: Sigh.

Afterward - only because our favorite neighborhood bar, Valhallah, was packed - we capped off the evening with beer at the nearby Coppersmiths - a bar that I have yet to leave sober. This night was no exception. I love New York!