Movie Night 63 was far from your typical Movie Night. For one thing, we didn't watch a movie at my place. Second off, Laura and I went to go see "Once More With Feeling," the Buffy the Vampire Slayer musical episode, at the Michigan Theater. And what a show it was.

First of all, I should mention that upon doing research on this showing, I found out that people as far as Virginia were coming to Ann Arbor to watch this (apparently, the die-hard fans go to see every viewing of this episode across the country). This made me nervous about how available tickets would be, what with students back on campus and all. I pre-ordered tickets for Laura and myself (stomaching a small surcharge), and we left for the event (prior to that, the few people that showed were chatting and hanging out in my apartment).

The line for people buying tickets was about 30 people - the line for pre-orders wrapped around the block! This event filled a 1,500 seat theater!

It was pure luck that we ran into my old college friend Foy, and his wife Steph. They saved us seats, so we could sit next to each other.

To start off, why would anyone pay $12 for a 43 minute episode? Well, it's not just an episode viewing, but an event. Like the Rocky Horror Picture show, they have a pre-show where people from the audience come up and reinact scenes, fill in missing dialogue or character thoughts, or sing. They also have homage reels (some of the actors from Buffy have passed on or they make fun of characters, like Riley), trivia, and a summary of the entire show. It's a good, interactive show. Plus, during the show, you're provided with props and promps when to use them. Occasionally, people will come out on stage and perform on stage, mimicking what the actors are doing on the screen.

Laura, having memorized all of the songs from the soundtrack and being a HUGE Buffy fan, sang along with just about every song. I had a good time waiting for the promps to use our props, and shout "Shut up, Dawn!" at the screen every time she showed her face. It was a hilarious time.

The whole show lasted about 2 hours, and by that time Laura and I were exhausted. With a big day ahead of us on Saturday, we both went back to the apartment and crashed hard.


For more information about Buffy to Musical, or to see if it will be in an area near you, check out www.buffysings.com