#18: Gallivanting around the city

For those of you who don't know (which if you're reading this on my Blogger account you probably fit into that category)I 'ran away' last Friday to the 'most livable' city in America: Pittsburgh.
Now one may ask 'Why on earth would you spend your spring break in Pittsburgh? There are so many other happenin' places for a young college kid as yourself!' Okay first of all, nobody uses happenin' anymore unless they are completely trashed; secondly, the people in those locations are usually wasted, horny, and smell of vomit, chaos and bad decisions. Thirdly, the people that I so desperately wanted to see were in fact, in PITTSBURGH. I didn't give my real reason for escaping because I figured people would just assume that's what I was doing for spring break. Not only that, I wasn't quite sure of the reason myself. I told myself that if I could just run away for a few days that my sorrow wouldn't follow me and I would live in blissful ignorance. I would arrive in PGH, be with my friends, sneak away to New York and see some shows, and my problems would just stay in the god-forsaken sinkhole that is my hometown. I kick myself now because I'm old enough to know that isn't the case, however I think that some lessons that you've learned tend to sink to the back of your mind. This happened to be the case. It wasn't until I was on the train on Saturday, heading into FABULOUS New York with the best people ever, that I began to really feel the sadness that I always feel on March 6th; the day my Mother died. I attempted to hide my tears and feelings to no avail, Kate and Rachel are very observant and understanding people and they did an excellent job of making me feel it was okay. They knew that I had been through some really shitty times these past few months; with my Nana dying in January, then dealing with this very difficult time of year that was now intensified with a fresh loss. I began to really think: Why am I still feeling this way when I'm with two people whom I haven't seen in months and am so happy to see? Why are these feeling affecting me in a place where I am most content and happy? The answer is simple:
She was my mom. She was my MOTHER. There will always be a void there, its something that won't disappear. Honestly, I don't think I would want it to because the day that happens is the day I truly loose her forever. While it wasn't as intensified in a different location, it was still there. I still feel the ache, and you know...I'm okay with that. I've moved on, I'm at a place in my life now where I'm just trying to figure things out. And while it is incredibly difficult sometimes without a mother, I manage; with a lot of help from some incredible people.
Well now we have all of that out of the way....allow me to gush about the two shows I saw:

Even though I had the privilege of seeing it when I was sixteen, I marched down to the tkts booth in Times Square to inquire about Phantom of the Opera tickets. I managed to snag a Row H orchestra seat, and with my prize in hand we met another dear friend of ours, Meg, for a bit and wandered about the city for a while before she had to go. After getting beautified, we each went our separate ways; Kate going to see Present Laughter, and Rachel (along with our friend Megan who decided to be spontaneous and join us) went to see HAIR. Seated in theatre, I felt the same thrill that I did when I saw my first Broadway show; this show holds a special place in my heart because it was the first show that I felt a strong connection with the main character. While Beauty and the Beast was great, it didn't have the power that Phantom did. I felt Christine's pain and confusion; stupid as it sounds, the show really helped my little sixteen year old self feel like I belonged. Jennifer Hope Wills played Christine Daae, and she was spectacular. The Christine's that I've heard in the past usually sound all operatic and mature. While that's fantastic, I think that they sometimes leave out the innocence, timidness and naivety that is somewhat crucial to the character. Jennifer did an amazing job of balancing the opera with the child. She hit those E's when the song required and maintained the child-like persona that is so often forgotten with this character. It was absolutely fantastic. Oh and how could I talk about this show without talking about the Phantom? John Cudia was just...amazing. Seriously there's no other way to describe it without making this post ridiculously long. Search him on YouTube. Also, Andrew Lloyd Webber just premiered his sequel to Phantom at the Adelphi Theatre in London. Love Never Dies basically picks up 10 years after the Phantom disappears, I'm counting the days until it comes to Broadway.

The other gem I saw was Billy Elliot. It's set during the Miners Strike in northern England mining town. Eleven-year old Billy Elliot, whose father and brother are participating in the strike,(whose mother has died quite some time ago and whose grandmother is not completely aware of what's going on), doesn't like the brutal boxing lessons at school. Instead, he falls for the girls' ballet lessons. When his folks find out about this unusual love of his, Billy is in trouble. Being supported by the ballet teacher, Mrs. Wilkinson, he keeps on training secretly while the work situation as well as the problems at home get worse. Finally, Mrs. Wilkinson manages to get Billy an audition for the Royal Ballet School, but now he also has to open his heart to his family. I've never seen the movie, but after seeing the show I'm pretty sure it can't compare. Yeah I know that's not really a fair assessment but I think you would feel the same way if you heard the music and saw the absolutely phenomenal dance numbers.

So that's pretty much it. I didn't intend for this to be so long, so kudos to you if you read it. I think everyone needs a little escape, they provide opportunities of self-discovery and amazing experiences with those you love.

At least, that's how I see it :]