Washington D.C. Here I Come!

 My trip to Washington D.C. April 30 to May 3, 1998

Prologue

 I have been following The FIX ever since it opened in London last spring, mainly my dearest Philip Quast was in it. I found a lovely lady (not from Les Miserables though) in England who was going to see the preview of the show. Julie and I hit it off from there and now we call each other "a twin sister who was separated at birth." But I digress...

 Julie eventually saw the show SIX TIMES because of John, David, Kathryn, and of course Philip. Who would turn down the opportunity to see Philip on stage?! I told her I would go there every other night if not every night until my credit card max out and then I would apply for a new card and keep going. But that did not happen. Partly I was not thinking right, and partly I still had a slight piece of sanity left. When the production did not go to West End, I was kicking myself not flying over to London. Julie gave me blow by blow review of what went on the stage each time she went to the theatre, and she even tried to remember the lyrics for me (this was before the OLC CD was released). She sent me a program which I could finally see Philip in goatee and crutches. Why this man looks still gorgeous in goatee?

When the CD was finally released, Julie again sent me the first copy which I heard over and over. I just love Philip's voice so much!! Ever-genius Julie made up some funny parody using the lyrics (see Forbidden West End), and we were having too much fun.

 The FIX Home Page

 Then, I heard a rumor that the FIX was coming to Washington D.C.!! Will the original cast also come? WILL PHILIP FINALLY COME TO THE U.S.?? Of course, knowing the strict U.S. Equity rules, our hope was slim, but we could still dream about. It turned out that the production would be revamped and the cast will be all American actors. By this time, the show itself grew on me and the news about Olivier Award nominations put me in the top of the world. I was so happy for the creator team and the cast for their effort.

 For a rather strange reason that I won't discuss here, I created my own home page. And of course, I wanted to create a page for the FIX, both UK and US productions. I did not know much about HTML and I owe to several wonderful people who helped me create the FIX page really neat. I get many compliments especially on the FIX page, which makes me very happy.

 Now the only missing piece to this puzzle was that my personal review of the show in D.C.!! It seemed that time and resources prohibited me from seeing the show in person. So I was asking everybody who was going to see the show to write me a review. And as you know, the production has been a greatest hit (they extended two weeks and the entire run is SOLD OUT), and I was so bummed that I cannot see it myself.

 Then one day, my prayer was answered by Southwest Airline commercial on TV. They were having a special promotion Coast to Coast flight for $98 one way. And yes, I can get to Baltimore from Sacramento for $198! If I can get on a red eye flight, I can get to D.C. on Thursday, see the show, do some sightseeing and come home Sunday! And my ever-understanding husband said he did not mind babysitting Fuji! (note: I'm a very independent woman but I still felt guilty about leaving my hubby home alone with a dog)

 I grabbed the phone and made the reservation with United Airline. They matched the price and better yet, I only need to transfer once each way (with Southwest, I had to transfer twice). I called the theatre and got THREE tickets (see I lost my sanity completely by now) to the show. My head has started to spin!

 Reservation Ordeal  

Part 1 White House Tour

This is my first time to visit the Capital of the Nation, and I only have three days to spend. Of all things you should visit, everybody says that White House Tour is a MUST. But according to the guidebook, you need to make a reservation at your local House Representatives or Senators' office in advance. Or you could wait in a line for a first come first serve free pass on the day of the tour. I opted for calling the Congressman. Fortunately, there was a political function where my Grandfather-in-law was honored for his contribution to the local politics and a Congressman was there too. I introduced myself and told him that I'd visit Washington D.C. and he told me just to call his office in D.C. for the tour arrangement.  

I called the office and was told that these tours had to be reserved at least two months in advance. But the person assured me, they would do whatever they could do to find an extra pass. Yeah, right, cross out the White House Tour from the itinerary. When my father-in-law heard about this conversation, he picked up a phone and called the D.C. office. He said "this is Supervisor Bob, and you will get my daughter-in-law a White House Tour pass." I guess the magical words worked, I got a phone call from the office in a few hours later saying that they got a cancellation. A CANCELLATION, Yeah, right. Either way, I'm going on the White House Tour! What I am really looking forward is to meet Buddy, the first dog. I will bring a dog biscuit to see if he is trained not to take a treat from strangers. 

Part 2 Ragtime

Now, I knew Ragtime had just opened in D.C. last weekend. I have seen Ragtime in L.A. (still kicking my butt that I missed BSM, but that's another story) and enjoyed it. I heard that the cast in this company is different from L.A. and I wanted to see it if I can get a ticket. When I searched for a single ticket on line, I could not find a good seat so I figured I would try the day of the performance (either Thursday or Saturday matinee) for a returned ticket. Then the other day, I tried again just for a heck of it, and I found a great seat: 4th row Center Orchestra for Thursday matinee. WOW, I thought it might be too close, so I tried another center orchestra: 20th row!!! I immediately decided to purchase 4th row ticket on line. After inputting everything, I got a message saying the server is not working right and try again or call the 800 number. I called and the operator said 5th row right orchestra. Wait! I just saw 4th row center a minute ago. I want to buy that one! He said I had to click away from the page and release the ticket so it would be available on his computer. I followed the instruction and called back. Still, 5th row right orchestra. No, no, I have to get 4th row center before somebody else gets it! The operator tried to refresh the screen again to see if the ticket came up. It was the longest 20 seconds in my life, but I got that ticket!!! I have to add that Telecharge's fee is the least expensive one, only $5.25 for handling fee, compared to Ticketmaster's $10.00 fee! 

Part 3 Kudzu

Kudzu is a new musical based on Southern Country playing in D.C.. This musical was highly recommended by a Baltimore/D.C. theatre critic so I've wanted to see. I was to see the show on Sat. matinee. Then everything will fall in places. BUT, I was told that Kudzu does not have a Sat matinee, only Wed. and Sun. matinees!! WHAT?! Saturday matinee is a norm, default, SOP! They can't do that to you, can they? So now I have Sat. matinee slot open. I might get lucky and rearrange the schedule and see this new musical but it is still up in the air! 

Okay, finally I finished my review with bells and whistles!

 

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