because happy is what happens, when all your dreams come true. as some of you know, i have an obsession with anything wizard of oz related. i've read the entire baum series, i've seen return to oz, i own the animated collection, i have two copies of the annotated wizard of oz -- one to read, one to keep. i could go on but i don't want to scare people.

so, with all that in mind, i've been waiting a long time to watch "wicked: the musical." i've flown to new york for the express purpose of watching it on broadway -- i failed. i've asked everyone who's seen it how it was. i not only read gregory maguire's book multiple times, i joined the online book club featuring him. i've dedicated many hours to the soundtrack.

this saturday in LA, on a day that will forever engrain itself into my memory, i finally visited oz, wicked style.

how was it? words really can't do it justice. sure, the traveling cast sang some of the songs differently, some of the tweaks took getting used to, the male lead obviously got in on affirmative action, but overall, this was one of the best five (three?) days of my life. i don't want to overdo it, but comparing this experience to having a child, i think i'll take watching wicked for the first time over having a kid.

i can't really express how much admiration i have for the wizard of oz. the books, the movie, the musical, the phenomenons that have surrounded all three; there are few things that are as infinitely interesting or intriguing to me as the wizard of oz. and that includes people. i don't really like people all that much in comparison.

some people may think i'm exaggerating about how good the musical was. but i don't exaggerate. the musical is by far the best one i've ever seen. okay, i'm a bit biased. but still. maybe other people prefer phantom, rent, les mis, or some other (off)broadway fare, but i've decided to dedicate my life to watching wicked whenever i can.

our individual one hundred dollar tickets were selling on ebay for four to five hundred dollars. if the price was pushed to six or seven hundred, i'd said beforehand that i'll consider selling the tickets. i mean, for that much, i could fly to new york and watch the show on broadway. in retrospect, that would have been the dumbest dipshit move ever.

watching it this weekend with the group that i went with was perfect. it was worth way more than seven hundred dollars apiece -- thirty five hundred total. do you understand what i'm trying to say? wicked is priceless! and i say that even after swearing to never use the word "priceless" in mastercard-ish sentimentality.

i could talk about how much i loved this musical for hours. i just wish i had somehow been able to capture every thought and feeling i encountered while watching it. alas, those thoughts and feelings are fading fast. highs like this never last long enough do they?