Tamara's Blog

Aida: Who Knew?

So I finally saw Aida (the musical) last Thursday. I had sent my cousin and her husband to see it in Chicago several years ago. She loved it and said it was a "must see." Well, I just saw - and she was right!

I went to the musical with my friend Char. We've been going to theatrical productions for years. It used to be that I would research whatever we were going to see (and its reviews) before we went. This season, however, I decided not do any research and just be entertained - and surprised.

That was a great approach with Aida. I didn't know who or what "Aida" was - was it a person, place or thing? It didn't take long for the story to totally captivate me. (And for those who aren't familiar with Aida, she is one of the main characters.)

At intermission, Char and I talked about what had transpired so far in the story and tried to figure out how it was going to end. We didn't guess right, but we were quite satisfied nonetheless. Who knew? It was a great production - and if you haven't seen it, it's a "must see."

It Really is a Small World

Aida finished out the 2008 season at the Village Theatre in downtown Issaquah. This local favorite is a quaint community theatre that is renowned for its top-quality productions.

One of the bonuses this time was that Rebecca Orts, my former boss' daughter, was part of the Egyptian Ensemble in the musical. Rebecca is a very talented teen who has a bright future in theatre. It was a delight watching her! In fact, Char had to keep reminding herself to watch the entire scene and not just Rebecca.

We also ran into Paul, a former colleague of mine (and current colleague of Char's) from Noetix.'Tis a small world after all...

We're Moving Next Season

Char and I have been avid supporters of the Village Theatre. We have our favorite seats and we always get away with walking in at the last possible moment before the doors shut. It is now a running joke...will we make it on time or not?

This next 2008-9 season, however, we're hitting the road and heading down to the 5th Avenue Theatre in Seattle. The lineup is amazing: Shrek the Musical, The Drowsy Chaperone, 7 Brides for 7 Brothers, Memphis, Hello Dolly!, Sunday in the Park with George, and GREASE! Who can blame us?!

About You: John Torres

"That's right! I don't see visions. I see vision statements!" John exclaimed. I was truly baffled as John tried to explain how he can't envision an image in his mind (like a vision of what the future could look like), but he can envision words (like a vision statement). I didn't know whether to feel sorry for him or laugh. I mean, how does one get excited about a bunch of black-&-white words in one's head? So I resorted to laughing because I could hardly relate...

Meet John Torres

I met John a couple of years ago at my church. He comes up a few times a year from Los Angeles - Mosaic LA, in fact - to share with us his phenomenal gift of singing, and more recently, acting. When he sings, his voice penetrates the inner vibrations of your soul. He is truly loved in the Pacific Northwest.

Listen and judge for yourself: SE. [Link from John's Web site.]

See John in Action

In December, John performed at Tangier, a premiere lounge and cultural hot spot in downtown Los Angeles. Here he is performing Rocket Man.

Paul Potts, A Man of Incredibly Humble Talent

Earlier this year, a shy, humble phone salesman stood before Simon Cowell on "Britain's Got Talent" and announced that he wanted to sing opera. You can only imagine how intimidating that would have been. For anyone.

Simon and his fellow judges responded politely, and Paul Potts proceeded to sing Nessun dorma. Within seconds, Paul captured the hearts, tears and applause of the judges and the millions of viewers watching.

Paul went on to win the competition in June, and his life has been forever changed. You can read more about Paul and what he's up to on these two Web sites here and here.

I encourage you to watch the two videos below. I promise that they will touch your heart. You may even cheer out loud. There are no words to describe this man's amazing story and talent.

Paul's Audition on "Britain's Got Talent"

Paul's Final Performance on the Show

[HT to Julia.]

Days 14 and 15: More Theatre and More Baseball

Last night, my cousin and I went to see Jersey Boys in downtown L.A.  "Oh, What a Night!" best describes this Tony Award-winning Broadway musical about Frankie Valli & The Four Seasons. Their story was brilliantly told through song and dialogue.

The Four Seasons' most popular song was "December 1963 (Oh, What a Night)." This song has always captured my attention because that is the month I was born. Now that I've seen the song acted out, there is no confusion in my mind about what prompted that song. Oh my. Ignorance is was bliss.

Baseball in San Diego

Today, Jill Dyche picked me up in Pasadena and we cruised down to meet Ron Powell and his family at PETCO Park in San Diego. I had to chuckle when I saw that the Padres were playing the  Houston Astros. This was my third baseball game this week - two in Los Angeles and today's - and this was the third time I was seeing Houston play.

An added bonus was when they put Mike Cameron in to pinch hit for Gary Maddux. For those who've been tolerating my love for baseball will know that Cameron was my all-time favorite when he played for the Mariners.

It was a great game. The Padres won 5-3. Thank you to Ron and Jill for the invite! And yes, Scot, I wore my Ichiro jersey. Proudly.

Days 5 and 6: Ghiradelli's, Hollywood Stars and Wicked

I'm a bit behind in my posting, but I wanted to point out a few highlights from last Thursday and Friday...

In Search of Ghiradelli's

On Thursday PM, Henriet and I headed to Old Town Pasadena to find the ol' time ice cream shoppe called Ghiradelli's. Yes, that's the chocolate folks. We ate lightly for dinner so that we could enjoy this ice cream feast.

We strolled up and down Colorado Blvd. trying to remember where the shoppe was. No luck. We Google mapped it on our BlackBerries and found the address and phone number. But when we got there, we found a parking lot instead. We called the phone number listed in Google Maps. Disconnected. Apparently, Ghiradelli's moved from Old Town since last October.

Plan B? Can you say Cold Stone???!!! Those of you who know me know that I love this place.

Walking with the Hollywood Stars

On Friday PM, Henriet and I headed to Hollywood to see the musical Wicked.  We arrived early, so we strolled along the Hollywood Walk of Fame to soak in all the stars. That was a first time activity for both of us. Sort of odd for me considering I'm California-born and raised.

"It's Good to See Me, Isn't It?" Says Glenda

After "walking on" the stars and eating dinner, we headed over to Pantages Theatre to see the musical Wicked. I had tried to get seats when it toured through Seattle last year, but it was sold out almost immediately.

The acting, singing and staging for Wicked were absolutely phenomenal. We were so blown away by it that we didn't really talk about it until the next day.

Henriet kept entertaining herself by quoting some of Glenda the Good Witch's hilarious lines. Click here to read Henriet's post about our wicked good experience in Hollywood.