Yesterday, an unusual and lovely thing happened. I found Paris; in the guise of Sacramento! Who knew??????? My mom and I had tickets, as you know, for The Scarlet Pimpernel. This was only part of the French day.
We left early. I had spent the night in Dayton, in Janina's room, since she has since moved back into Manzanita Hall for her sophomore year (and may I just add the largest dorm room I have ever seen in my lifetime!). We stopped by my apartment to drop off my car, and so I could run in and grab my binnoculars. I knew we were sitting in row U, and I'd never been to this theatre. Plus, I cannot afford to get new contacts until I start getting my paychecks from CCS. Therefore, I have reverted back to wearing my glasses from college, which are also a couple of perscriptions old. Wonderful. Anyway, after my apartment, we had to go to Manzanita Hall to give some software to Janina since her computer has crashed. ***Kelsey and Halley--I think you should call her. She could really use some cheering up and support right now.***
We officially began our trip to the California State capitol from the Nevada State Capitol (if you begin where we left my apartment that is) after seeing Nina. We talked the whole way. I love spending time with my mom when it is just the two of us. I hope everyone can reach that point someday, because it is such an awesome thing.
We found the theatre with great ease. We checked out the parking structure right across the street, but thought we might be able to do better. We looked at the parking meters, but eventually found a parking structure where we could park for a $6 flat rate. It was under the Bank of Lodi and next door to the theatre where I saw Thoroughly Modern Millie. We went into the bank in order to use the rest room. We were told by the parking attendant that there would be a guard who could direct us. After going in the elevator up to the bank, we saw no one. We searched and found the bathroom. When leaving, my mom was about to head out the door. I mentioned that since we were possibly the only two people in the bank, we might set off an alarm. Luckily, I spotted three well-dressed people who approached the door and unlocked it with their ID cards! We exited through that door.
We wandered around a bit, and discovered a place called The Melting Pot, a fondue resturant. It didn't open until 4 pm. So, we continued to search for a place to eat lunch. We decided to go to The Melting Pot after the show. We stumbled across a place called Cafe La Bou. It didn't look French inside, but it did look promising. We both had a Spinich Citrus Salad and Frazo Iced Tea Freeze. MMMMMMMMMMMM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Both were delicious!!!!!!!! Apparently it's a chain in California, so do try to come across it if you can!
We walked around a bit, and found a wedding which was about to begin in the rose garden of the park where the State Capitol Building is. It looked lavish. A stringed quartet and harpist were entertaining the guests. Everyone was dressed to the nines, moreso than I was used to; even for a wedding. The flower girl was wearing her lavendar dress--which had irridescent wings on the back. I don't know if this fully describes how adorable it was, but trust me, it was charming. We visited the Vietnam Memorial which was there. They had several scenes with men representing various things. My mom saw one and stopped. "He looks like Will. He looks just like Will does, Lynette." Will is my cousin fighting in Iraq.
We walked back to the theatre, and on the way passed the bride sitting in a horse drawn carriage. I wished I could have been at that wedding, since it looked so beautiful. I wondered how many strings had to get pulled in order to have the wedding there.
The show was awesome!!!!!!!!! It was my first experience at a theatre in the round. The set was very simple. The guillotine was set up in the aisle when needed. My favorite scene was where Percy came into the garden where Chauvelin and Marguerite were talking. Brad Little played Percy, and he was such a great fop! I was dying! "How you do creep up on a person! You should wear a bell around your neck. We'll make it black!" Hysterical. By far, the funniest song was "The Creation of Man." With their scarves, walking sticks and outrageous outfits how could it not be? I still loved "The Riddle" the most, though. I think it perfectly sums up each character and where they are at that point in the story. It was funny to me that I could hum most of the songs, yet I couldn't sing the words if I'd wanted to. I didn't realize how much Wildhorn revamped the show when he did.
During the intermission, my mom called The Melting Pot to make reservations for us. Apparently they were booked until 9 pm, but told my mom since it was just the two of us, it would be okay. We had a Yin-Yang (dark and white chocolate) fondue. MMM! It was good! It reminded me of going to the Mona Lisa in Nampa the two times that I did. Fondue is fun and extraordinarily yummy. I had a good time.
And that, my friends was the end of my day of Paris in Sacramento. We came home. My mom should really listen to me when I offer driving directions, because every time we got lost, I was right. However, it didn't take us forever to get back on track, so my frustration didn't rise as much as it would have otherwise. I watched some of the Olympics with Kristen. I wanted to watch some of the new Pride and Prejudice with her, but I couldn't keep my eyes open. I hadn't slept really the night before, so I crashed.
Did you guess the title? It is a little bit harder, since it is not a big musical like many of the others I've used. This is from the song "Melody de Paris" in Phantom, the Maury Yeston version. I was in it in high school, it was fun. Maury Yeston also wrote the musicals Titanic, Nine, and Grand Hotel. Good stuff!
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