Monday, September 10, 2007

Sing Along with Buffy!

Those of you who have known me for a while may recall my years of obsession with the TV program "Buffy the Vampire Slayer". Perhaps obsession is too mild a word. At the suggestion of my older daughter, I somewhat passively tuned in one night in early 1997 to catch the first season episode entitled "I, Robot... You, Jane". Life would never be the same! I was intrigued by the cast (of course), the witty dialogue, the bargain basement special effects, and of course, the soap opera that was to become the seven-season plot.

So I found it quite interesting the other day when, wondering what had ever become of our heroine Buffy (Sarah Michelle Gellar), I came across a current picture of her, decked out in Chanel, on the InStyle magazine website. The very next day, in one of those rare coincidences, I received a call from my friend Tanya who told me about an upcoming event to be held the following evening, a Buffy Sing-Along. Voila! What could be a better way to spend a Saturday night in the ATL?

This past Saturday, my younger daughter, a friend of hers, and I headed out a special showing of "Once More, with Feeling: The Buffy Musical" at Atlanta's Plaza Theatre. "Once More" was a special episode aired during the sixth season of BtVS (for those of us hardcore show fans) in which a typical demon-comes-to-town story is set to rollicking show tunes -- our version was complete with a bouncing ball and subtitles. On the way into the theatre, we were handed kits of goodies, including soap bubbles, a finger puppet, fake vampire teeth, and crackers, all to be used in a sort of Rocky Horror audience participation adventure.


And participate we did! When Spike appeared, we yelled "Hotness!" Whenever Buffy's younger sister Dawn tried to get a word in edgewise, we would all say in unison, "Shut up, Dawn!" And when Tara levitated above her bed in a trance-like state of euphoria, we pulled the string on our crackers, filling the theatre air with the smell of exploded caps. It was divine.

Now, we're just waiting for the return. Next time, I'll take along more of my middle-aged friends and probably a few more youth. We all have one thing in common -- love for Her Royal Highness, the Buffness. And let it be known that this presentation is making its way across the U.S.A. -- before you know it, it'll be in your town as well. Click here for the website, with this season's complete schedule.

Grrr...arrgh! (Inside joke for you BtVS fans...)

Rico =:)