guess what?

i get memorial day off.

yes. the answer is YES.

extra long weekend, say hello to stephanie.

SO, i totally saw les mis last night at capitol theater with my parents and nick.

it was spectacular. i was crying, laughing, aching, hating, and loving everything about it.

the prologue started with the live orchestra, and my heart started racing.

i know almost all the songs word for word, and i love it.

{image via google}

sadly, eponine could have been a little better. she could have been more emotional, more feminine, and had a stronger voice. i wanted to ache for her more than anything, but i just couldn't. of course i cried when she died, but who doesn't?

val jean was super, super good. i've never been so into his character before. his version of "bring him home" was interesting; more va-voom than falsetto, which is great, but not what i was expecting.

marius reminded me of the jonas brother on the 25th anniversary production of Les Mis, but he had a much better voice. i loved LOVEd the "heart full of love" scene, it was very "romeo-esque" as he serenaded her as she stood fondly watching him from her balcony. and the kiss: absolutely beautiful.

cosette slipped up on the "heart full of love reprise" and the poor soul stretched as hard as she could to hit that high C, but was barely under pitch. but as usual, sweet little cosette performed her part just as she should.

the thernardiers were SO FUNNY, i didn't have that undying hate for them like i usually do.

they were absolutely hilarious. "master of the house" was the best i've ever seen.

surprinsingly, my favorite singer, although not my favorite character, was javier. man, what a voice!!

fantine was beautiful and sob-worthy as always. i've never seen anyone die so well. and from start to end of her part i just felt so bad for her. during the "lovely ladies" scene, i hated everyone who wasn't fantine for what they were doing to her. ugh!

now about the set. it's an off-broadway production, so obviously it was more than exceptional. the moving set pieces were so cool. they were huge and surprisingly intricate. they were triangle shaped, so there were 3 different sides that could face the audience. needless to say, we were never bored visually. and the barricade was AWESOME.

they used an electronic backdrop which changed with each scene. so in the tavern, there were boxes and windows and more of a "warehouse" feel, a london street scene during the barricade and street scenes, etc. my favorite part was the sewer scene. the backdrop "moved" so it looked like val jean was carrying marius through long stretches of sewer pipes. i can't really explain it, but it was exceptional.

when javier jumped off the bridge, he jumped into the air and we saw him fall from an "aerial view" as he dramatically descended into the black depths.

my favorite scenes are the 2 right before intermission and the finale. I love how musically powerful they are with the entire cast involved.

"to love another person is to see the face of god."

simply put, it was incredible.

although summer's just begun, i can already feel it slipping away.

it's nearly june, and i've done nothing.

school starts august 22nd and it seems like it's right around the corner.

on the other hand, who has heard of kenny loggins?

the song, return to pooh corner?

it's part of me.

let's share:

It's hard to explain how a few precious things

Seem to follow throughout all our lives

After all's said and done I was watching my son

Sleeping there with my bear by his side

So I tucked him in, I kissed him and as I was going

I swear that the old bear whispered "Boy welcome home"

Believe me if you can

I've finally come

Back to the House at Pooh Corner by one

What do you know

There's so much to be done

Count all the bees in the hive

Chase all the clouds from the sky

I just really like this song.

i want to be a kid again, some days.

and i desperately need to get my hair done.

i promised myself i'd never bleach it blonde again because it just destroys my hair

so i want to get it darker.

we'll see :)