I saw Grease the musical last night with Rin and Nick.
Nick's dad Kim came over after Elana had eaten her vegetables but before custard and the bottle. I'd already put her in her pjamas ready to go to bed all he had to do was give her the dummy, put her in bed with her blanket turn on the aquarium and walk out. Easy. He had no problems whatsoever. She apparently kept bringing the same book to him had her bottle as normal and went to bed (without the dummy - that was a big surprise I came home and it was still on the table where I put it when I gave it to him - cool hey)
After a REALLY big afternoon, Rin the boys Elana and I went to visit Sami and the four kids played in the huose/the backyard and watched some hi5 after lunch - it was exhausting. Then we went to Rin's mothers house to visit her aunts who are house sitting while her parents take a trip around/through Australia for six months, more running around the backyard - so the kids were pretty zonked by the time they got home - I was sure Elana wouldn't make it to six o'clock let alone 7 - but she did.
So okay we left my house while Elana was eating custard (no tears - but apparently she wandered around a bit looking for us) and we drove to the Brisbane Entertainment Centre. Stopping off at a servo for dinner.
We were going to have McDonalds but they didn't have a crispy chicken fillet burger and I didn't want to risk getting messy - especially not getting chilli sauce and sour cream on my pink jacket.
So Nick and I had Red Rooster -- and there was only one girl on the till and like 4 or 5 people behind doing the cooking, wrapping whatever. It took like half an hour and eventually the manager came out and like 4 people (including us) had their meal in lke 30 seconds.
Luckily the meal wasn't cold - it was really hot. And the chips were really heavily seasoned with chicken salt.
So we got to the centre and found parking really easily actually, found the door we needed to go through - one of the least crowded with the very least crowded bathrooms.
Found our seats Door 2, Aisle 3 row Q seats 247(rin), 248(me) and 249(nick) They were REALLY great seats not to high, not to close, could see everything perfectly, didn't even need the binoculars they were advertising we should buy outside.
Once inside they had radio from 1959, complete with Vince Fontaine (but not Richard Wilkins just another guy) and commercials for cars and radio competitions and of course music from the 50's it was REALLY cool.
They started right on 8pm with the band (who previously was warming up the crowd with mexican waves so were successful some failed miserably) was most of John Farnhams stage band plus a few extras and they began with exerpts from the songs then the actors came out and then Danny & Sandy came out. And the roar was deafening
Then Miss Lynch (Magda Subanszki who got the second biggest cheer/roar after John Farnham and ahead of Millsy) came out and oh my god I can't tell you everything that happened because I'd be ruining it for people going to see it.
It was WAY different to the movie. In my opinion it was better.
Highlights for me were Doody singing Those Magic Changes, Greased Lightening sang by Kenicke (especially the electric guitar part) and Mooning by Courtney Murphy - I love him - Rin said to me "it so should have been him and Anthony in the final" at the time I wanted Courtney and Casey but I agree with her 100% now. Oh well. He was REALLLY!!!!!!!!! good in Grease sang beautifully and his character was really funny.
And There are Worst things by Rizzo - which is my favourite song from the movie and is even more so now - it was really good and I liked it better in the musical the way they did it then they way they do it in the movie.
Craig McLoghlin was more a Ham then John Travolta was - the crowd and especially Nick and Rin really enjoyed it - I wasn't so fussed (he had a running gag of head bobbing and a stupid laugh it got annoying for me but Nick said it made it for him so each to his own)
Natalie Bassingthwaite surprised me - I guess I had such low expectations from her Neighbours character - she could really sing - and not only that shoe could sing with a fake American accent and it still sounded good.
Everyone had these REALLY thick American accents and it didn't falter in any of there singing voices which was interesting and good.
MAJOR highlight of the night was John Farnham. I've always loved him anyway but I can't believe my reaction. Rin and I cried when he was singing Beauty School Dropout - it's not a particularly sad song and he sang it they way you'd expect John Farnham to sing it complete with they highnotes in the right places but it was completely overwhelming that THE VOICE!!!!!!!!!!! John Farnham was RIGHT THERE - he was right there - my voice is still hoarse from screaming.
The MAJOR MAJOR highlight was when John came back for the finale encore part and he sang a song that had nothing to do with Grease but everything to do with the 50's and it was amazing because it was my FAVOURITE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! song that they played 4times a day on 4kQ and apart from the original singer they only people I'd heard sing it was bands at the local RSL my mum would drag me too.
Del Shannon's Runnaway. John Farnham sang Runnaway and I almost died. I almost wet my pants. I was so overwhelmed and screaming and crying and laughing and singing and oh my god it was the best thing ever.
It was (the whole night/package) better then the first Sonfest, better then Audio Adrenaline, better then La Traviata and better then every AGMF big rock show - including All Star United.
It was AMAZING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I Loved it - I went home on the BIGGEST high of my life, I had almost no voice and I just wanted to watch it again and again and again.
It was FANTASTIC!!!!!!!
Australians who haven't seen it and HAVE the opportunity GO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Go and see it! - SO good.
So worth the $113. I'd pay it three times over (last night, tonight and Saturday night as that's when it's playing in Brisbane before moving on) I LOVED IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!