Go, Wildcats!

Some things I never expected to say:

1. I saw Disney's High School Musical last night.

2. With Annabelle.

3. It was pretty good!

4. Annabelle liked it, too.

When we went to Louisville to see Sweeney Todd last month, I passed the time before the show torturing Annabelle with the posters for High School Musical. Annabelle has long made clear her disdain for HSM (and its groupies), so it was fun to watch her squirm as I would casually say, "Oh, look, I guess you'll be wanting to see that one, huh?" But then something rather amazing happened . . .

I got a phone call from the director of Annabelle's Broadway Boot Camp program. He had been tasked with putting together a dozen or so local teens to appear in Act 2 of HSM as members of what they call the "Pep Squad," and he was wondering if Annabelle would be interested. I assured him that she would indeed be interested, while silently worrying that she might gag herself to death when I told her. I needn't have worried though--she has standards, but she's not stupid, and she can recognize a great opportunity when one presents itself.

Part of the deal was that all members of the Pep Squad got 2 free tickets to watch opening night from start to finish. So that is how we found ourselves smack dab in the middle of the orchestra level last night (best seats I've ever had at the Kentucky Center, and they were free, courtesy of Annabelle!), watching the Wildcats do their thing.

Now, Disney makes a big hairy deal out of the fact that Pep Squad members are NOT performers. If they were performers, I would imagine Disney would have to be paying them union wages and all that, so instead they are members of the audience. Members of the audience who dress in red and white and watch about 10 minutes of Act 2 from movable bleachers onstage. Last night's Pep Squad seemed to be having a pretty good time though, singing and clapping along with the rest of the audience at the appropriate times.

Annabelle will be pep squadding tonight through Friday night and then both shows on Sunday. (Gold Rush is on Saturday, and I'm up to my eyeballs in that, so we took a pass on the Saturday shows.) Fred and I are going Thursday night to watch, and Friday and Sunday I get to be a backstage chaperone. I'm gonna be a stage mom!

Make sure you check Annabelle's blog regularly over the next few days, as I'm sure she'll have lots of exciting stuff to share.