It's a Musical World

Sorry I've been behind in posting! It's been a busy couple of weeks, but very enjoyable. Since there's so much opportunity around us, Matthew and I try to take advantage of shows and performances where we can. I have to admit that he sometimes ends up having to haul me out of my lair by force, but I always end up having tons of fun! Here's some of what we've been up to:

• Beauty and the Beast. Of course we had to see this as soon as it came out-- I've been waiting on it for a whole year! We had prepared the week before by watching the original animated version, which Matthew had somehow never seen. I have to say, I was a little nervous going into the new one because I wasn't sure it would live up to expectations, but it was amazing! The producers managed to keep the best aspects of the movie while smoothing over some of the rougher bits, including a number of plot holes we had noticed earlier. Emma Watson was fantastic, and I felt like they did an excellent job developing the love story (it was a little rushed in the original). An unexpected side effect: I've been singing "Little Town" every day in the shower for the past two weeks!
• Heathers. Saturday night, after the observatory open house I'd been planning was rained out, we decided to see the production on offer at the Rhodes theater. We didn't have tickets, but by getting there early we managed to get seats on the floor. Actually, Matthew was offered the last seat in the house, but being the gentleman he is he declined and sat with me instead! Anyway, the musical was really well-done; while I had some trepidation about going due to the plot's dark nature, they did an excellent job of keeping it light but thought-provoking.
• Women's Choir Concert. I actually attended the concert yesterday for the sole purpose of turning pages for my organ teacher (who was accompanying), but it reminded me how much I love concerts! The women's choir from Rhodes collaborated with a local children's choir, and among other pieces they sang a Mass by Bob Chilcott, which brought me right back to my AYS days!

Today promises to be exciting too, because I'll finally get to play the real pipe organ in the concert hall across the street, rather than the old electric one I've been working on until now. The hall has been under renovation for that past year, and it looks (and sounds) lovely. I can't wait for my lesson!