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In which I am more impressed by live ponies and fireworks than I really should admit to the Internets.

It is a fairly commonly-known fact that I love going to see plays, particularly the really good kind.  I’m talking Broadway-caliber actors vs. community theatre.  Don’t get me wrong, I love community theatre–I just REALLY love professional theatre.  In fact, I took a trip to New York City just to see six Broadway shows, and a trip to Chicago simply to see Wicked…and the King Tut exhibit.  And spent a weekend in San Francisco to see Legally Blonde: The Musical.  What can I say, I’m a nerd and a geek and a dork, all rolled up and perched atop a pair of fabulous heels. 

At any rate, the Tuacahn Theatre, previously mentioned for producing High School Musical–which I have now seen–was one of only a handful of off-Broadway theatres to acquire the rights to perform Les Miserable.  And I, for one, was not about to miss it.

The Tuacahn Theatre(TWO-uh-KAHN, means “Canyon of the Gods”) is an outdoor amphitheatre set in a box canyon of gorgeous red-rock in Southern Utah.  This weekend, Handsome & I packed into his super-shiny-and-fast “fun car” and headed south.  Four hours south.  Yes, I convinced him to drive 8 hours round-trip to see a musical. 

And get a burger at In-n-Out.  He didn’t complain.  Once.  Hi In-n-Out!  I miss you!  Don’t forget about me!  I’ll be back soon, ok?

I somehow convinced…  Handsome and I decided to head over to the theatre during the afternoon to pick up our tickets to the completely sold out performance, and also take a few pictures for blogumentation purposes.

This is such an amazing place!  I was floored at how big the red-rock backdrop made everything seem.  Those cliffs are probably 400-ish feet tall, the looming backdrop is absolutely stunning.  You can see where the live orchestra sits, and the lights and speakers and everything.  I wondered, if I was this impressed already, how would the actual show measure up?

It was AMAZING!  I haven’t seen Les Mis in several years, and I forgot how much I loved the story, the music, the emotion…I may or may not have sobbed half-a-dozen times.  (That was a first…and a surprise.  A good surprise.)  I actually went to school with a couple of the actors and it was kind of surreal to hear them singing in such a, such a BIG thing.  Granted, this theatre couldn’t reproduce the turning-circle stage the origina Les Mis uses, but I didn’t even notice.  Do you want to know why?

Because they had ponies.  Live ponies.  On stage, pulling around carts of prisoners, soldiers, townspeople, stuff…ponies, people.  On stage.  I got such a rush of butterflies when the first team pulled out the prisoners at the beginning…ponies!  I was sold.  Throughout the rest of the performance there were a few other key additions that could never have been accomplished on a normal stage.  Specifically, fireworks.  Yes.  Real fireworks.  Shot off from the canyon wall during the French Revolution/barricade scene.  Fireworks!  And cannons!  And more ponies!  (Note to PETA: no ponies were harmed in the production of this event.) 

I could actually go on and on about the ponies and the fireworks and more ponies.  But I won’t.  Because I’m already a little embarrassed that I am still so excited about them.  Thank you Handsome, for putting up with my pony-loving ways…and driving 8 hours so I could see ponies in a play  the greatest musical of all time.

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