Beads. Flowers. Freedom. Happiness.

I don't even know where to start to describe this weekend. Oh, here's an idea for this post's structure: I'll tell you what I did after losing the Hair lotto each day, since I tried 6 times this weekend (since Thursday) to no avail. 

After trying and losing on Thursday, a friend and I gave it a go at the Rock of Ages ticket lottery, where we both won!  The show is cheesy, campy and filled with '80s rock - plus you can drink Coors Light in your seat during the show. Sounds like a good time in the making, and it was. I'm actually still finding silver confetti in my jacket from sitting under the machine. 

After trying and losing on Friday, I went to the Rock of Ages lotto again, this time to try for a friend. I don't know why I'm so lucky there and not at Hair, but I won tickets for her as well. Then, after a yummy sushi dinner, we decided to check out the cast listing board at Billy Elliot to see who was going on for Billy. I had seen every one of the young (and phenomenally talented) actors except for Tommy Batchelor. And what luck, because he was on that night! Unfortunately, it was sold out - but I lucked out again, because there was a last minute cancellation and I ended up in seat C105. (That's a really great seat, by the way.) I absolutely loved Tommy's performance. He comes across a lot like the Billy of the movie. 

After trying and losing for the Saturday matinee, I decided to check out student rush seats for a play I had heard a lot about called Exit the King. This stars Susan Sarandon, Geoffrey Rush and Lauren Ambrose. My super-cheap seat was front row center; the girls next to me and I were afraid a couple of times that we were going to end up with a king in our laps - we were that close. I really wanted to take a picture with Lauren, since through the years I've gotten comments that I look like her, but because of makeup the didn't come out between the matinee and evening performance. Sad day.

Then, as I headed back to 45th to try for Saturday evening at Hair, I realized I was just in time for the ending of the Billy Elliot matinee. I have been trying to get my fancy souvenir program signed by all of the Billys, but I was still missing David's autograph. I happened to have it with me on Saturday, and he had just so happened to go on for the matinee, so now my program is complete! 

After losing on Saturday night, I took a night off from the theatre (which my checkbook appreciated, I'm sure). That night included shopping on 5th Avenue - trying on dozens of headbands at Bendel's and ogling dozens of shoes at Saks - and seeing the film Sunshine Cleaning. Nothing too exciting there, except that on my way home I passed Eric Mabius with his wife, Ivy Sherman, on 8th Avenue! (He plays Daniel Meade on Ugly Betty, in case you were trying to think of who that is.)

After losing for the Sunday matinee, I also tried and lost the In the Heights lottery. Then I spent the day hanging out in bookstores and coffee shops killing time for the evening lottery, because A) I am stubborn and determined to win and B) If I went home, I'd just sit around being lazy all day anyway. 

So, at the Sunday evening lottery for Hair, I was determined to win, since it was my last chance this weekend. While waiting for the drawing, I see a familiar face come in and put his name in the bucket as well - none other than Jonathan Groff, who played the original Melchior in Spring Awakening, and the role of Claude in Hair at Central Park this summer (that's the production that transferred to Broadway). As luck would have it, Jonathan's friend was the first name called, and mine was never called. 

After the drawing was over and their tickets were bought, I decided to talk to Jonathan. He is truly one of the nicest, most gracious people I have ever met. I thanked him for sharing his amazing talents and told him I am looking forward to seeing what he does next. He asked my name and we chatted a bit; he even told me that, "If my name had been drawn, too, I would have given you my ticket." What a sweetheart. 

I then decided that I really needed to see that particular performance of Hair. I knew of a discount code, so I called in to see what kind of ticket I could get. When the woman told me seat A113 was available for half-off, I sort of freaked out. Of course I bought it. For those of you who don't know, Hair is the kind of show where the actors really interact with the audience. That particular seat is on the far left of the front row of the center section, aka right next to where the actors come on and off stage. When Berger took off his pants after the first song, he handed them to me to hold onto for a while. When Claude came passing out Be-In flyers and flowers, I got a flyer and two daffodils. I was also kissed 3 times, had my hair tousled several times and was hugged. Oh, not to mention being pulled up onstage to dance with the cast and other audience members when "Let the Sunshine In" was reprised after the curtain call. I might call that the perfect ending to a fantastic weekend. I was vibrating with excitement from the moment I sat down, and I'm still beaming hours after the show ended. 

Throughout all that, I also ran into a ton of OU students who were in town for Spring Break, and it was really fun to get to chat with them. How crazy that in a "city of strangers" as Sondheim would say, that I spotted a few familiar faces in the crowds on more than one occasion. I also made some new familiar faces out of the other regulars at the Hair lotto. Pretty sure I'm going to be biffles with the guy who runs it before I finally win. He's fun, so I'm okay with that. I just find it so interesting how my unlucky weekend at the Hair lotto turned into a lucky weekend in so many other ways.

I'll leave you with some of my favorite lyrics from the show:

"Walking in space, we find the purpose of peace, the beauty of life you can no longer hide. Our eyes are open, our eyes are open. Our eyes are open, our eyes are open."

P.S. Some of my pictures are already posted on Facebook, so check those out. And there are more to come.