Benihana and GREASE at the 5th Avenue Theatre!
Tuesday night was Date Night, and Mandy surprised Brett with tickets to see Grease! at the 5th Avenue Theatre in downtown Seattle! But first, a quick bite at Benihanas to satisfy our sushi cravings...
Yes, i did. I "surprised" Brett with tix to the Broadway show Grease... i did this for two reasons:
1) I really love the element of surprise, and what it adds to our Date Nights; and
2) i was afraid that if i told him where we were going, there was the chance that he would suddenly "come down with some terrible flu/rash/deadly malady and be unable to go" ...
There is always a risk when it comes to either theater, ballet, the opera, tampon conventions, or chick flick film screenings... among other male-dreaded activities. Luckily, Brett has a very artistic and creative side -- one of the reasons i fell in love with him -- and he was THRILLED when i told him what we were doing!
["I've never been to a Broadway show!" ]
We'd only been to the theater together once, so we were due for it! And i scored these great tickets (it was PREVIEW night, which means it wasn't technically open yet -- it officially opens tonight!) through work, and couldn't WAIT!
Of course, i wanted to make it a theme night, perhaps heading over to Dick's for some GREASy burgers and fries... or perhaps pick up some GREASy Chinese food... but since the show started at 7.30, and both Brett and i don't get home from work until about 6.30/7, we were sort of at a loss for food (and also, we try to avoid greasy food like the plague, so those were probably the two worst ideas I'd ever had in my life). Instead, we hopped in the car and headed downtown, hoping to grab a quick bite by the theater before showtime (VERY optimistic thinking, mind you).
We parked at 5th and Spring parking garage ($7 evening special), and headed the 2 blocks North to the 5th Avenue Theater, hoping to find something along the way. We knew Rock Bottom was across the street, but could we really get in and get out in 30 minutes? Probably not. and then, BEHOLD! We see Benihanas! They have a sushi bar! perfect!
Brett and i hustle and bustle in, and I ask the hostess if we can realistically eat and be out in 30 minutes -- YES! she replies. Hungry and excited, Brett and i head to the sushi bar where we immediately start ordering.
The chef asks if we're trying to catch a show, and at our exasperated nods, continues to create his masterpieces as quickly as he can for us. I'm telling you, everyone at this place was so accommodating to our time crunch, it was fantastic!
We ordered an assortment of rolls, some sushi, and miso. Oh, and of course, two HUGE Japanese beers. The fish was fresh and tasty. Beer was great, customer service and accommodation was AMAZING. loved it. We definitely want to go back and try the actual restaurant, not just the sushi bar.
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In and out in 20 minutes. $60 poorer. Fabulous!
Off to the 5th Ave, which is a beautiful old theater right in the heart of downtown.
The inside of the theater is just stunning...
The moment we walked in, they were dimming the lights to let the audience know the show was about to start. Talk about perfect timing!
We made our way to our seats, and sat back and relaxed. Now, those of you who have seen the film adaptation of GREASE, the Broadway show is very different. Familiar songs are in different places, there are songs we hadn't heard before, and several major characters and plot twists weren't part of the play. Of course, there were the famous scenes that we all know and love:
I think we were both a bit disappointed in some of the omitted scenes, even though it was still fun, and we could sing along to many of the songs (and, so could the wasted couple next to us, much to our chagrin. We were pissed!). Brett was wholly disappointed that BOTH the "boy" parts of the film -- the car races, and Crater Face and his gang -- were not part of the theatrical version.
The cast had great energy for a Preview night, and it ended up being a really fun time.
WE have a tough time staying up late on school-nights, what with our 5am gym session, so towards the end of the two and a half hour show we were wiped! and headed home (singing all the way!) for some shut-eye.
Show rating: We both agreed that had I actually had to pay for the tickets (about $85/pop) we probably wouldn't do it again -- at least not for Grease. The actresses all sort of blended together -- they all sounded like Frenchy, and that high-pitched squeaky voice got pretty old after 2 and a half hours. I thought Sandy would've been better if she'd had a more angelic voice, not as theatrical (the guy who played Roger - Will Blum - was PHENOMENAL, however! what an amazing voice!). Don't get me wrong, we love the theater and it really was a lot of fun (how can you not smile when watching Grease!), but i think we would've had almost as much fun sitting at home watching the movie in our PJ's, singing our guts out, car-chase and Crater-face scenes and all!
The sushi was great!
Cheers, Brett
Benihana:
Romance: 3 (was a bit bright for our liking, and a bit tourist-y -- we've been to much cooler sushi spots)
Cool Ambiance/Interior: 2
All Around Service: 5
Cost: $$$ (Toto, we're not in Sushi Land anymore...)
Would we recommend it? 4: Good! Just not our favorite…
GREASE! at the 5th Avenue Theatre is playing from May 13th through May 30th, with special guest star Taylor Hicks, American Idol winner. You can find out more about the show HERE, and purchase tickets HERE.
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