The Apple Tree

So everyone I knew who had seen The Apple Tree told me, "Liz, you would just love Apple Tree. I mean, it has Kristin... and it's totally your type of musical... all cutesy and fun." Glad my reputation stands as the cutesy fun one.

So, I went with Russo to see The Apple Tree. And oh man, were they right. It was just the cutest and most hysterically funny show. And seriously, it's just Kristin Chenoweth time. I mean, come, she IS the show. And if you've seen my previous posting on her, you know how great I think she is.

Ok, but the reason the show will forever stay in my mind is because of what happened in the middle of the second act. Kristin was playing a princess who was about to lose her lover, dressed in this ridiculous outfit, not unlike the one in the picture, singing a song on these steps that were in the middle of the stage. As she was singing it, the lion tamer and "lion" (played by a person of course), come up out of the floor in the back of the stage. Only, as he came up, he tripped. Kristin wasn't singing at this point, but I think to kind of brush it off, she goes, "There's a step there, ya know." And he kind of looked at her, surprised that she had said something. But it just ended up causing more of a scene, because she seriously just lost it laughing. She was supposed to start singing again, oh but no, she was just cracking up laughing because he had tripped onto stage. And it was so precious because the entire audience was bursting at the seams, she was clearly trying with all her might to start singing again, and would sing-laugh through some words, then get through a few lines, then laugh again. And you could tell she just couldn't get herself together. And then she sang for awhile and seriously then just started bursting with laughter... and she looked at the audience, laughing, and said, "I'm SO sorry." But no one really cared, because we were all dying too. The orchestra (which was above and to the sides of the stage), yea, they were all laughing too, as they continued to play. I honestly had tears streaming down my face. She managed to get herself together and finish the song, and as she walked off stage she goes, "Thank you Jesus that's over with!" Oh man, it was quality. And immediately after that song, the entire chorus comes out, and oh yes, they were all chuckling.
It was one of the best moments in theatre I've ever seen, just because it was truly "live" theatre. They messed up, we all saw it, had a good laugh, and continued on. This is why I love theatre (no, not because people screw up), because it's ALIVE, it's fresh, it's real, right there in front of your face.

And I will certainly never forget the time I saw Kristin Chenoweth hysterically laughing in the middle of The Apple Tree.