Play: The Addams Family

About a month ago, when I was in New York City, we managed to get half price tickets to catch the matinee for The Addams Family. My daughter enjoys the old television series and I love watching both Nathan Lane and Bebe Neuwirth. It would be a good time for everyone.

The play advances the lives of the family slightly. Wednesday has grown from the delightfully morbid little girl we knew into a young woman in love. Unfortunately, she has fallen in love with Lucas Beineke, a "normal" young man. In an attempt to break the news of their impending wedding to their families, Wednesday decides to invite the Beinekes to dinner at the Addams mansion. Both teenagers beg their parents for one "normal" night, but can anything ever be normal in the Addams house?

I went into the play not knowing the storyline. Needless to say, I was a bit surprised that the characters had been aged a few years. Luckily, everything came together amazingly to produce this fantastic production. Not only is the story well-written, but both the acting and the stage effects gives it even more oomph. (Yes, they even have Uncle Fester lighting a bulb in his mouth onstage.)

Krysta Rodriguez plays Wednesday. I was absolutely floored every time she opened her mouth to sing. If Kristin Chenoweth is a modern example of a Broadway actress 'making it big,' I predict that Krysta will be closely following in her footsteps. I am definitely looking forward to seeing bigger things for her in the future.

As I said earlier, I am a fan of both Nathan Lane and Bebe Neuwirth. Unfortunately, Nathan Lane was not in the production we saw. (Which is probably why the tickets were half price.) However, we were lucky enough to have Merwin Foard in the role of Gomez. Once again, an amazingly talented actor was cast in a difficult role. Everyone in my group agreed that he was the perfect actor for the role. None of us can even imagine Nathan Lane doing as good a job. As for Bebe Neuwirth, I was a little hesitant to like her as Morticia at first. With a bit of time though, she grew on me. I enjoyed her performance, even if she doesn't seem to be a perfect fit.

I definitely fell in love with this show. As a matter of fact, I'm trying to figure out a way to get my husband to New York so he can see it as well. If you have the chance to see it, even if you need to buy the half price tickets, GO. You will not be sorry!

Coming Soon

Coming up on The Geek Within: I still have one more play from my New York trip to talk about. I just need to do a little more research on the cast members' names since it was slightly different than usual. This should be up by the end of the week. (Maybe today, if we're lucky!)

Back to j-dorama! I'm currently watching ROOKIES. Though I've only finished the first two episodes. I probably won't be able to watch much more until this weekend. I'll have to figure out my schedule for this week.

Until then, I shall be doing research on Christmas party invitations for my work holiday party. Yes, it's September and I already need to be thinking about these sorts of things. It sucks but it must be done.

No HFCS for me!

As I said on Friday, my sister and I will be taking a Zumba class. (No, this isn't about hcg platinum reviews or anything. All healthy for me!) In addition to this, I'm also going to work on keeping high fructose corn syrup (which may become corn sugar if the lobbyists have a say about it) out of my food. This means I will have to give up my beloved Coca-Cola. If they had a sugar version like Pepsi does, I would drink that. But they don't. So it's either no soda (the better option, to be honest) or something like Mountain Dew Throwback. I guess we'll see how caffeine deprived I am after dropping the Coke.

Game review: Reincarnations: Uncover the Past

Sadly, I did not realize that Reincarnations: Uncover the Past is the second in a series of hidden object games before I started playing it. I think I would have liked to have played the original game first. Anyway, in the game, you play Jane, a woman who has been traveling through time via her past lives. I imagine the first game explains this a bit more. In this game, Jane has been committed to a mental institution. She plans on using her past lives to help her escape.

I found the game to be tons of fun. My favorite parts were where you have to combine objects in order to find something on your list. For example, you need to combine a brush and a boot to make a shiny boot. I also find the different storylines interesting. Each past life has it's own story and problem to solve. This keeps the game fresh so, even though they are the same puzzles, each one has it's own flair.

I actually haven't finished the game yet. I went ahead and got the full version. Hopefully you'll find it as fun as I did!

Anti-aging?

I went to the drug store with my daughter last night. For some reason, I always feel the need to walk through the aisle with the anti aging products. I don't want to buy them...mostly because I don't think they really work...but I sort of enjoy reading the claims. "This will get rid of crow's feet!" "No more wrinkles!" I understand that no one wants to look 'old.' But it's going to happen unless you get plastic surgery or something. A jar of lotion won't magically make you look 18 again. It just won't.

Open to ideas

In the past, whenever I've submitted my website to a free directory submission place, I always end up with nothing but spammers. That is so annoying. I'd like to drive more traffic to my site but I don't want more spam clogging everything up. Does anyone have any ideas? I'm open for suggestions. Maybe I should try reviewing more J-Dramas and advertise on those communities. Though TGW is a bit more than that now. ACK!

Play: The Lion King

One of the most popular Disney musicals on Broadway is The Lion King. Most Disney fans know the story by heart. Simba, a lion cub destined to be king of his pride, is tricked by his evil uncle, Scar, into thinking he killed his father, Mufasa. Fearing the wrath of the other lions, Simba runs away. Luckily, he comes upon Pumbaa the warthog and Timon the meerkat. The three best friends live a carefree life until Simba's childhood friend, Nala, tries to eat Pumbaa. Nala convinces Simba to return to Pride Rock and retake his rightful place as king.

There has been a lot of hype around the musical, mostly due to the amazing costumes the actors wear. I will admit that they are absolutely breathtaking. However, that is the best part of the play. If you are already familiar with the animated movie, this show is just a live rehashing of the story. There is nothing new, beyond a few songs. It is pretty much word-for-word a re-enactment of the movie. As such, it's pretty easy to tune out entire scenes. This is unfortunate since the actors, especially the children, are so amazingly talented. I'd like to recommend The Lion King to people but I just can't. Yes, the costumes are great but I think you should get a little more for your money. Though, if you manage to get discounted tickets, snatch them up and be stunned by the beauty of the show.

Saving face

Normally, I'm not the type of person that scrutinizes herself in the mirror. Lately, though, I've been spending way too much time pointing out my flaws. I think I really need a facial. Maybe that will at least get rid of the blackheads. After that, it'll be acne scar removal time. Well, maybe not 'removal' but at least 'fading.' If they aren't as noticeable, that's just as them being gone, right? I should remember to ask the cosmetologist when I have my facial. They should be able to recommend a treatment.

Washington Monument

The Washington Monument is the last museum I have to talk about. Even though most people are familiar with the monument, it's difficult to truly realize how huge it is until you are standing next to it. It stands approximately 555 feet tall. The building was finished on December 6, 1884. Think about how awesome that is. Way back in the late 1800s, they were able to erect this humongous pillar in honor of the first president of the United States. It almost makes today's buildings look lame.

Admission to the monument is free, but you do need a ticket since they can only let so many people in at one time. It's very tiny at the top. As a note, if you order your tickets online, there is a $1.50 service charge.

At the top of the tower, there are two windows on each of the four sides. While it is a little difficult to fit into the space near the window (unless you are a child), it is possible. You can see about 30 miles in each direction. That means you'll be able to see both Maryland and Virginia. I'm not particularly fond of heights but I did find the view impressive. (I stood in the back by the elevators instead of going right up to the window.)

The longest part of the museum is the elevator ride up and down. If you have a half hour or so to spare during your trip, you should check out the monument. It's just plain neat.