yumiang blog

As I was on my way taking the #19 to Stanley Park, I noticed the dark clouds gathering in the sky and worried if the rain would stall or cancel Grease tonight.

Well, I was really having a small conversation about one’s visibility online on my phone but I was starting to get worried. I had an umbrella in my purse, but what was I going to do about a coat?

There was a large line-up winding from the box-office outside and around the nearby restaurant when I finally arrived for the second last performance of Grease.

About a quarter to eight, showers started and out came the volunteers with plastic ponchos.
I was sitting with Shiffra, the talented violist (note- she plays viola, not violin) for the other current TUTs (Theatre Under the Stars) performance of Oklahoma, and with Tammy, a step-sister of April. We were joking that we should make it easier and have ourselves wrapped in plastic wrap as umbrellas started to sprout amongst the soaking audience members.

Waiting for awhile and finally when the rain started to lighten up, the show started about a quarter-half-past eight. Maybe I should have sat on the other side of Tammy, so the person in front of me didn’t have to hide the middle of the stage from my view. It was still an awesome show- I wonder what percentage of the audience were worried about performers slipping across the stage as it poured.

The rain came in and out- April’s blanket around Shiffra and I was completely soaked. For next time, I’m bringing an extra plastic sheet and reconsidering whether to wear skirt and sandals if it looks like rain outdoors.

Intermission- Try keeping a medium-sized purse in your lap, holding a hot-chocolate in one hand, playing Brick on my iPod under my plastic poncho and keeping up conversations. That lasted five minutes.

It was such a damp night, but the rain did go along really well with Sandra Dee’s sad ballad and during another number with tonnes of fog on-stage. Beauty-School-Drop-Out was awesome, with a few men from the chorus joining in with their silver big curl pyramids on-top of their heads.

Danny, the main character who is best known to be played by Travolta in the 1978 movie production, and his hair was amazing. I swear for a second I thought I saw my audio instructor, Jeff, on-stage (he has an awesome ‘do- but not as high of a front like Danny’s character). The only thing I missed was the car race scene like in the movie with John Travolta. They should have had two small go-karts in “greaser” form at the start, which would be all the way in the back rows and race down the middle aisle to the front of the stage.

At the end of the show, we met up with Sam and April and waited around for everyone else to come join us to celebrate Sam’s birthday.

“Aww, I was so worried about the rain, man. When they pull my pants off, they’re gonna see my dick through my tightie-whities.” as I overheard from the performer who played the “Fatso” character in Grease.  Oh the drama on-stage and off.

We made it through Stanley Park’s traffic and out to White Spot.
It was a nice cozy atmosphere with entertaining friends and folks of Sam.

Nothing beats being on the “wet-coast” than taking a night in the rain to watch an outdoor musical theatrical performance.

Maybe taking a shower earlier in the day wasn’t necessary as I thought it would be.
Especially dousing myself in bug-spray before I left the house at dusk.