Yesterday, B took me to go see Wicked at the Orpheum.  It was my first really big date out since October and since I’m feeling better these days, it was nice to have been able to enjoy it as well.  We first had a quick lunch at La Boulange on Hayes.  Even though it was pouring down rain, there were tons of people and we scrambled to get a seat to eat our lunch.  The food was good though and the pastries looked yummy, but I thought I’d save my blood sugar for dinner.

The musical was fun and entertaining, which was to be expected.  The pit and the singing was good, and the set design was great.  I loved the costumes.  B and I were both freaked out by the monkeys, though they were supposed to be good.  We both had one favorite number, and the rest was just pleasant.  The Wicked Witch had the strongest voice of the whole cast.  It did stray from the book, but I see that it really had to in order for it to have been a musical shrunk down in 2.5 hours.  As much as I enjoyed the musical, I also loved the people watching.  Love, love, love, people watching.  This kicked off with a couple that was walking in front of us to the theater in the pouring rain.  The woman was in fishnet stockings and stilletto heels.  I kept my eye on her feet as they wobbled and hobbled every step of the way.  When she turned around, we saw two black eyes (not real black eyes) from her heavy eye liner and shadow with bright orange/red lipstick.  “Whoa…” B said, and that there was nothing more we could say about that.

Then we headed back to the East Bay to get out of the city and ate dinner at Fellini’s in Berkeley.  It was casual and yummy, just what we needed. Yes, we both really needed a fun day out.

I smack the back of my hand for this, and yet I still haven’t gotten around to it.  I should listen to more female composers, but the thought escapes me when there is so much classical music out there saturated by men.  Bad, bad, bad, Nancy.  I have totally dissed my own kind… I’m a total biatch.

Which leads me to Sofia Gubaidulina.  Do I know much about her? No.  Have I listened to a lot of her work?  Not much other than the music I studied in school… which is not a lot.  Is her work being played at Davis Symphony this weekend directed by Kurt Masur along with Bruckner’s Romantic Symphony? Yes. But are you going? No.  Instead, I am going to go see the musical Wicked, a Christmas present that my husband gave me.  (haha, totally new music.)  Is Nancy getting restless with the classical genre of music she has in her library?  Yes, yes, yes.  Another CD rampage must commence and this time, it will all be of women composers.  I get sick of slapping myself on the hand.

Oh, and if you’re going to the concert, please report back.