Society and Wicked

I know the title sounds like this is going to be some commentary on the similarities or differences between our society and the musical Wicked, or how it has effected society..... but it isn't. Society was the amazing restaurant Csaba and I had dinner at before we went to see Wicked. Near the house of Parliament in Downtown Melbourne Society has an Italian influenced menu with modern Australian favorites. The decor is sumptuous, antiquated, and eclectic. We had made a booking but since we were having dinner at 6:30 it wasn't really necessary. We had a cozy corner booth to ourselves. It was a pretty warm day so we went with a Sav blanc semillion blend for wine and browsed the menu. For my entree (they call appetizers entrees here and it is very customary for each person to have their own, it isn't like plates of buffalo wings in the states that people would share) i had a lovely carrot ginger soup and Csaba had a rolled up caprese salad (the thinly sliced tomato basil and mozzarella were layered and rolled up). For our mains I enjoyed an amazing lobster scallop and exotic fruit Tortelloni di Aragosta in a butter sauce. Being smart i got the entree size (smaller and less expensive) it had just 3 tortelloni but they were on the larger side and plenty filling. It was also served with three mussels on a half shell and garnished with those little orange fish eggs that you often find on sushi- so yummy. I had a side salad of arugula (they call it rocket) pear and shaved Parmesan with balsamic (this is a very standard side salad). Csaba had the Lamb saddle with some very yummy garlic mashed potatoes and a side garden salad. We couldn't resist when they brought around the dessert menu. Csaba got their specialty the chocolate ravioli's a chocolate pasta filled with vanilla bean custard and drowned in a bitter sweet chocolate sauce. I had the white chocolate Panna Cotta with peppered strawberries and a mint sauce, yummy!!!! After we finished our meal we checked out the rest of the restaurant including the bar upstairs which they call "High Society". It reminded me of the private tables you can find in some very swanky eclectic bars in Vegas it was really uniquely decorated and I could imagine having an excellent evening with friends over cocktails there. I enjoyed one of their signature drinks, a Pear kiss, with sparkling wine pear puree and elderflower liqueur Csaba had his classic Manhattan. After we had finished our cocktails it was time to head out, the show was starting soon!!!
As soon as you entered the theatre you were immediately transported into a storybook land. The curtain was a map of Oz including the Emerald city at the center in twinkling green lights. Over the stage looms a Huge dragon made from many pieces of metal. On each side of the stage there are sets of stairs and balconies twisting around. From the very moment of opening you know your eyes are in for a treat. The costumes are impeccable with intricate details and layers upon layers of sumptuous fabrics. I do had to concede that the sets and costumes did more for me than the actual story. Elphaba ( the wicked witch of the west) was very good but I often found Glinda annoying and one dimensional. Not until the very end did you get anything different out of her. Defying Gravity is far and above most of the other songs in the show, closing out the first act with a bang and giving me chills. Over all the show was very enjoyable and I was very excited to buy a Wicked Australia tee shirt!