A Proud Wife, Part II

Last night I finally had the pleasure of seeing Mr. Mingle act in his first performance of The Full Monty, and I can honestly say it was a treat! Their opening night is tonight, but unfortunately for me it coincides with the closing weekend of a show (a little known musical called West Side Story) for which I’m playing the trumpet in the pit. So, I attended the Sneak Preview last night, since I just couldn’t wait any longer to get my first glimpse of The Full Monty! (Of course, it’s so sad that due to both of our busy schedules in recent weeks, I have to travel to Half Moon Bay to see my own husband naked on stage instead of my own home, but I digress….)

Back to last night… I knew what to expect throughout the entire show because Mr. Mingle has been telling me all about the actors, lines, songs, dances… etc… however to see it come together before my eyes was a lot of fun. Unfortunately I missed the first couple of numbers, but saw the rest of the show and laughed throughout. They did a really good job of casting regular guys for the role – no offense Honey – but these are not men with a lot of dance experience, and that’s what makes their casting perfect. It’s totally believable that they are a bunch of down-on-their-luck fellas that are trying to do something totally new to them to make some money, and in the process, do something they can be proud of.

I always get a little emotional when Mr. Mingle is on stage in a big scene because it makes me so proud, so I wasn’t sure how I would react last night. I thought for sure I would cry when he sings a heartfelt song to his son, but I held it together then. It wasn’t until the very last scene – the ultimate strip tease – when all of a sudden the emotions poured in. When Mr. Mingle joined the stage, I started to tear up unexpectedly, because I thought…”OMG…they are actually going through with this….” and I was utterly amazed at the “cajones” that all six men had to perform this role. Yet, at the same time I could not stop shaking from laughter with the thought of, “my mother and aunt are coming to see this …”

I look forward to seeing it again and again, because I know that each time it will get better, and I’ll find new and different things to laugh at and enjoy. In the meantime, I can think back to my two favorite numbers and just smile today…. One of which, in my opinion, is an Ode to Napoleon Dynamite – one of the guys does this dance number that so resembles Napoleon at the end of the movie I couldn’t help but giggle, and the other number was one of my favorite songs going into the theater, but it wasn’t until seeing the play that I realized Mr. Mingle and his cast mates do the entire number dressed only in their underwear. I’m telling you… not just anyone could do that!!