Damn You, Kristin Chenoweth!

I've wanted to go see "Wicked" since it opened.  Unfortunately with school and everything, I haven't gotten to see it yet.  And I generally don't like to listen to Musical Cast Recordings without having first seeing the musical.  But I was listening to NPR the other day in the car and they were playing "Popular" from Wicked.

Any followers of musical theater will know that Kristin Chenoweth plays Glinda in "Wicked".  "Popular" is a song in which Glinda (the villain in "Wicked") very obnoxiously makes over Elphaba (aka the Wicked Witch).

And anyone who has ever been in the room with me when Kristin Chenoweth has been on tv knows that she annoys the crap out of me.  Yes, she has a good voice.  An awesome voice, actually.  But she is so over the top treacly!  It makes me want to gag whenever I see her.  She pretty much ruined what could have been a good version of The Music Man (with Matthew Broderick) and one of the 4th of July shows on the Mall.  And then she had to show up on the West Wing.  Puke.

When I heard "Popular" on the radio, I realized what was wrong.  Kristin Chenoweth, you were born to play the villain.  No one wants to see you play Marian the Librarian.  And I actually like you as a villain.  You are great as the person everyone loves to hate.

Does this mean I might actually have to say I like Kristin Chenoweth now?

Spanish Riding School Comes to DC

Since I was about 8 I have wanted to see the Spanish Riding School Lipizzaner stallions.  However, they rarely travel to the US, so I had pretty much decided at some point in my life, I would have to go to Vienna to see them.

That's right Vienna, Austria.  So why is it called the Spanish Riding School if it is in Vienna?  Because the horses they ride, Lipizzaners, are a breed from Spain.  As a matter of fact, when the SRS was founded in 1572 (making it the world's oldest riding school), the actual horses they rode were Spanish born. 

The SRS practices the riding style known as dressage, which is the type of riding I did for about 10 years.  I often describe dressage to people as horse ballet.  It might not be as exciting (for some people) to watch as jumping or cross country, but dressage is truly an art.  It looks easy, but it takes years and years of dedicated practice to truly excel.  Ideally, dressage is the horse and rider in complete harmony, with the horse performing many intricate movements at the rider's invisible command.  Watching a master of dressage (both horse and rider) is amazing, if you appreciate how difficult it really is.

At any rate, the Spanish Riding School is coming to DC this Saturday and guess who has tickets!  I'm so excited, and I think even Jeff is excited too.  ;)  though I would still like to go to Vienna (they actually ride in a palace and their arena has crystal chandeliers, gold leaf, and french doors - not quite comparable to the MCI Center), I can finally say I have seen *the* Spanish Riding School.

Zola and Othello

Last night we had dinner at Zola (fabulous - except the bathroom) and saw Avery Brooks in Othello at the Shakespeare Theatre. 

Zola was great.  I had a fondue with sausage and sourdough, a really amazing halibut dish with ginger grits, and a peanut butter and chocolate trifle for dessert (you cannot go wrong with peanut butter!).  Jeff's favorite was the lobster mac and cheese.  We will definitely be coming back.  However, I was supremely disappointed in their bathrooms.  They say on their website that their bathrooms are the best in D.C., so I was really curious to see why.  I still have no idea.  The bathroom was fine, but just a bathroom.  Nothing special at all.  I left wondering if maybe there was a super secret bathroom that I had missed (Zola is attached to the Spy Museum after all).  Oh well.

Othello was great as well, though Iago stole the show (as tends to happen in Othello, I guess).  Avery Brooks' performance was great, but Patrick Page's (Iago) was better.  I enjoyed the staging as well. 

We definitely need to make it out to the Shakespeare Theatre more often.  The last time we had both been was in college.