Next to Normal

This weekend I had the amazing opportunity to see Next to Normal, a musical that was showing at the Kennedy Center.

The musical in and of itself was fantastic. I was repeatedly astounded at the sheer beauty in each of the actor/actresses voices. They could sing.. and they could sing incredibly well. But not only that, they were singing and dancing, and forced to stay in character, while exerting so much energy yet they not only looked great while they did it, they sounded great too. People that can do such things are extremely talented and far too often overlooked. Anyway, the musical was about a dysfunctional family and their trying to survive, to stick together, while dealing with some difficult issues. I definitely laughed, yet I also wanted to cry, and overall, it was very touching. Not to mention, I was able to sit in about the 5th row thanks to a friend of mine receiving free tickets from his boss. Not a bad way to enjoy your first musical production in the Kennedy Center.

Speaking of the Kennedy Center.. what a SIGHT! Oh my goodness, that place is beautiful. BUT what makes it truly astonishing is the "patio" portion. The Kennedy Center sits on the Potomac River and when you look out onto the river, not only is it gorgeous (especially on a warm summer night) but you're able to look out and see Virgina just right across the water from you. Standing outside, with the warm weather and the beautiful night sky, I couldn't help but feel like I was a bit out of my league. 21 years old, sitting in the 5th row at the Kennedy Center, dolled up in my nice black dress (so glad I decided to pack one at the last minute!), part of me wondered if this was actually happening. But it was, and it's just one of the many things DC has to offer. How I could go from spending time in DuPont Circle with friends, to traveling home to my apartment next to the Capitol building, to then heading to the Kennedy Center is beyond me. There are so many places here that are so different, yet each special in its own way. Needless to say, it's rather difficult to get bored. In fact, it's nearly impossible. Each weekend I get to explore the city I fall more in love with it. I'm looking forward to continuing to go on new adventures. This weekend I plan on going to Jazz on the Garden and I'm looking forward to blogging all about it. Until then.. adios!

-AEO