Wicked Fun!

At some point… maybe the tormented male in our household could tell you the exact hour, the girls and I came across the song “Defying Gravity,” from Wicked. I cannot explain how I managed to completely miss this Broadway musical spin on the Wizard of Oz during its early 2000s heyday. Or ten years later, in the Frozen era Idina Menzel craze… but I have absolutely no memory of hearing a single track before.

We have more than made up for those twenty lost years.

My Broadway-loving brother even tracked down a bootleg copy (in the purest sense of the word, like, VHS camcorder style) for us to watch of Menzel and Chenoweth sharing the stage for the last time. The onset of vertigo prevents us from repeated viewings, but it helped us connect all the soundtrack dots without yet seeing it onstage.

Someday…

So until we can get to the West End ourselves, we are finding creative ways to express our fandom.

Halloween 2022, showcasing some vintage Kirk, circa 2014.

Lately, the girls think everything good that shows up at the house is from Nicole. Why? Because she does things like drop off pumpkins while they are sleeping.

Mom: “Hey, I saved one for you so you could have the experience of scooping out the seeds. Hello? Hello? Anyone here?”

Oh, but you need a child to look at carving patterns? They come jazzed up!

Speaking of…

We had a great time carving the pumpkins!

Guess the artist…

The coordination and execution of an ensemble costume… it’s the mothering equivalent of final exams. Cate’s crown (meticulously crafted until 2AM) ended up under the stroller,

the wand tossed into the trunk (if she used it to stab me in the back I might have appreciated it at least served a purpose).

Indeed, some of the glue-gunning was in vain; however, on the afternoon of Trunk or Treat, with time at a premium, Jane begged me to put together a “Tin Mom” costume. She gave me this heart. What could I do but load the girls into the car and race across town to the Bazar and make it happen.

I may chaperone Cate’s prom in my silver bodysuit. I can’t imagine it will still fit, but all the better, my pretty!

And I’ll bring my munchkin along too!

With Ken on base staging the school’s trunk (and not exactly a hair and makeup artist), we called on our village of Nicole and Amy to get the girls out the door on time, and not lost in the crowd.

I think everything would still be on the staircase if they did not intervene.

So with a little help from our friends, we had a Wicked good night!

They even called Ken onstage for the costume contest while we were on the hayride…

I’m sure with half the accessories missing by that time we were no longer a recognizable ensemble. But this guy always is! Or did she notice my discarded ax on the haystack?

Keep a lookout for Wicked 2… The Munchkin Thief.