Fabulous show!

July 10/11.

What an incredible evening Kate & I had at the Rexall Centre for The Very Very Best of Broadway show! It was almost like some kind of fantastic dream.

Many weeks ago, Sam bought us a pair of tickets online. We were all amazed when they turned out to be front row centre seats! (How'd THAT happen??) SOOOO expensive, that we decided they had to represent birthday and anniversary gifts for the next TWO years! I like to think of the tickets as a celebratory gift for surviving cancer surgery, especially since, the "Broadway royalty" star of the show, Raúl Esparza, (of Sondheim's COMPANY), performed his greatest song, Being ALIVE!!!!!!!!!


Kate & I first saw Raúl on the 2007 Tony awards telecast when he was nominated for Best Featured Actor in a Musical. He sang Being Alive and blew us away. We were astounded when he lost to David Hyde Pierce for Curtains! (so was everyone else). We adore David, - ("Niles" of Frasier fame), but Raúl clearly should have won that night! Check out his performance (from the PBS version of the show) if you don't believe me! - Wow. Just wow. From the moment we saw Raúl on the Tonys, we wanted to see him perform live, and now, we have, - just five feet in front of us, and he was every bit as great as we could have imagined!

Took me an hour to drive to the venue. I got lost twice on the way, (despite maps given to me by Carrie and by Sam). I am absolutely hopeless at getting anywhere outside of the main downtown city streets. (My fondest wish is to be able to hire a chauffeur if ever I have to go farther than about Yonge & Finch!) - but somehow, got there, in enough time (left at 6 o'clock for an 8 p.m. showtime), for Kate & I to grab a hotdog for dinner!

Isn't she a beauty?

It was pretty cool to be holding front row centre tickets!

The last time I was this excited about a show, it was Robin Williams. My heart was just racing here! Half of it was knowing we were about to see Raúl and Martin Short. The other half, was knowing my sister is sharing the bill! I am so proud of her. (How she EVER learned all the music in the midst of the hidey hole moving madness, I'll never know).

Carrie came out to visit with us during intermission and we grabbed this shot against the stage. (I didn't even get the memo to dress in black! It just happened!) "Carrie's chorus" - SOOOOOOOO good. - And ya, you bet, I kept thinking how much Mum would have loved it.

On rehearsal day, Carrie was on the phone with me, yakking about nothing much, when suddenly, Raúl passed her by, hot off the stage after performing Soliloquy from Carousel. He still had the earpiece in! She put the cell phone down and I could hear her speaking to him, complimenting him on the song, (which was about the best version ever!) and asking for a pic. He obliged. Big time. What a shot! Sigh.

Martin Short did SO many funny bits. Have watched him in action for decades and always loved him. He joked with the crowd that he's 61 now, but still hoofing it up there, doing any crazy thing required. My kinda man. I was so happy with this shot of Marty! (also got to speak to him during intermission and he remembered me from the good old Global days and all those interviews).

Marty in action! Always the showman!

Raúl jumped on top of the piano and let loose on Defying Gravity (from Wicked). SO good! - Shot on Kate's iPhone.

The finale was "Give My Regards to Broadway" featuring (left to right):
Jane Krakowski (of "30 Rock"), Martin Short, Raúl Esparza, Audra McDonald & Brian Stokes Mitchell. - Musical director extraordinaire, Marvin Hamlisch, can be seen on far right, conducting!

At one point, Raúl cracked everyone up by suddenly falling to the floor!

After the show, still more to come. Carrie had her backstage pass, and due to the kindness of one security guard who let her "sneak by", she was able to take Kate to the dressing room area, where they spotted Audra and Brian.

Audra McDonald & Brian Stokes Mitchell (who first starred together years ago in the Toronto production of Ragtime. Together again for The Very Very Best of Broadway!)

And - drum roll please, caught up with Raúl, one of Kate's idols. I was SOOOOOOOOO happy Kate was able to meet him. (there was only one person allowed backstage with Carrie, but I watched from a distance and loved every second!)

Four years after "discovery and infatuation", Kate meets Raúl! Carrie & Kate got to spend about 10 minutes talking with him and they both report he was extremely attentive and nice! - Memorable evening!

Meanwhile, Sam & Max had a blast at the Frampton Comes Alive! 35 concert.
(The 35th anniversary of his multiplatinum selling live album, "Frampton Comes Alive!)- Sam & Max bought a CD copy of what was recorded at the show, just half an hour after the concert wrapped up. Technology rules!

So. Overall? What a night! - For EVERYONE!