You’ve seen it on Sex and the City and Gossip Girl…..yet recreating “girls night out” has become watching yet another romantic comedy at Waterford’s Regal Cinema, or quoting Mean Girls for the hundredth time, or drinking a bottle of White Zinfandel from Publix (while pretending it’s sophisticated), or ending up at the OTHER Knight Library with guys (oops!). What has happened to “girls night out”?
While downtown Orlando and Winter Park have much to offer, it’s not exactly New York City; however, February 23-March 27, it gets pretty close. I’m talking about “defying gravity” without hopping on a plane to the famous city. Today’s most popular Broadway musical is coming to the Bob Carr in Orlando, giving lady Knights a chance to take off their armor and get in touch with their wicked side.
Wicked (the musical) is based on Gregory Maguire’s book of the same title. The play is a quirky and intelligent prequel The Wizard of Oz. After watching the movie (and once you got past wishing that heavily glittered ruby red slippers were acceptable footwear if you’re anything like me), you probably wondered, “what happened in Oz to make that chick from the west such a, umm, witch?” While some serious skin issues that make nearly any cute outfit clash are enough to make a girl want to go after the “pretty” girl in town (and her dog too), it turns out there is a whole lot more to the story.
Elphaba (who comes to be known as the Wicked Witch of the West) is just your average girl who happens to have green skin, oh-and incredible powers. She has your usual responsibilities like taking care of her little sister, going to school, dealing with that way-too-bubbly blonde chick, and solving a mystery about talking animals and flying monkeys. She was just trying to mind her business when some farm girl killed her sister. I mean you’d probably want to start flying solo too. Assuming this has not happened yet, you probably have some girlfriends to share a New York-style night with and there is no better way to do it than to attend a Broadway tour show.
With hilarious dialogue (which even includes some words you’ve never heard before) and loveable characters, Wicked gives a lot of laughs. Still, there is enough twisted romance and drama to induce that one tear or sniffle (at least) that no “girls night out” is complete without. The plot centers around the kind of unexpected, yet powerful friendship all women should hope to find amongst each other. With songs like “What Is This Feeling” (which is sure to conjure memories of roommate debacles) and the inspiring “Defying Gravity”, you will surely want to obtain the soundtrack for future girly get-togethers and road trips.
The Bob Carr is located in Downtown Orlando near the Amway Center. If you’ve already seen Wicked and need to keep yourself from singing out loud, oral fixation is not an issue. The theatre has a full bar those of you 21 and older, and for everyone else there are probably Shirley Temples if not a soda. They also have snacks and you can take everything to your seat! Most night shows begin at 8pm, but matinee shows are usually available on the weekends. Ticket prices start around $37 and can be purchased at the FAIRWINDS Broadway Across America – Orlando Box Office, Amway Centre Box Office and all Ticketmaster locations. Online purchases can be made at www.OrlandoBroadway.com. To charge by phone call 1-800-982-2787. If you want to book your whole crew together and save money, group orders may be placed by calling (407) 423-9999 or (800) 950-4647.