wicked local news
“Dad Dad I’ve just won Wicked tickets”. My 15 year-old daughter came running into my study to deliver this news with unrepressed excitement.
“That’s very nice dear. Tickets for what?” I replied only half listening
“Oh Dad you are such an old fogey. They’re Wicked tickets!” She said placing all the emphasis on WICKED and less on tickets.
“Yes I get the idea you like them, I’m not such an old fogey that don’t know youth-speak when I hear it, but wicked tickets in my day would have meant just the opposite because wicked means evil or bad. Really I dread to think what they aren’t teaching at that expensive school I send you to”.
“Get with it Dad wicked tickets means really really cool. In fact they are the hottest Wicked tickets around”.
“Well I’m glad we sorted that out”. I replied looking and feeling anything but enlightened.
She explained further. “Wicked tickets are tickets for the show “Wicked”. It’s the best musical in the World ever”.
“If I’ve told you once about exaggerating I’ve told you a million times”. I quipped but she just gave me that ‘du urh’ look and pressed on.
“I was listening to the local radio and they had this competition to win Wicked tickets where I had to answer a question and be the first to phone in and get it right and I heard myself on the radio and I got it right so I won two wicked Wicked tickets so you’ve got to take me to London to see Wicked”.
“Wicked!” I said with only the slightest trace of irony. “So what was this question?”
“I had to say the title of the book from which Wicked came and it’s called Wicked: The Life And Times Of The Wicked Witch Of The West. We actually read it in social studies in that expensive school you sent me to and if you haven’t heard of it then I dread to think what they didn’t teach you at that expensive school you went too ”. I really don’t know where she gets her sense of irony from but I thought it best not to rise to the bait.
So I just said. “Did they make you tap your heels together and spin around three times as well?” It was her turn to look confused so I continued. “The wicked witch of the west was the evil character in The Wizard Of Oz, another musical from another book and Dorothy the main character had to do the heel tapping routine…” My daughters’ eyes had begun to glaze over so I came back to her world.
“Social studies you say. How are Wicked tickets related to that?”
“Wicked is all about good and evil and growing up and fame and being true to yourself as a witch.” She told me.
“Ah so are you a witch and if so which witch are you?”
“Oh very funny”. She retorted without the slightest smile. “Are we going to use these Wicked tickets or shall I sell them on eBay?”
“Of course we’ll use your hard-won Wicked tickets. I’m intrigued to see this really cool, hot, wicked, witchy, social, book, musical show thingy”.
At this she stamped her foot, turned on the spot and left mumbling something about old fogeys and evil parents and lots of other stuff I didn’t catch.
“Breathe”: U2 Live from the Somerville Theatre March 11, 2009 feat. Larry Mullen Jr & Bono slides
