"Say you're happy now, once more with feeling"

"Life's a show, and we all play a part,
And when the music starts, we open up our hearts.
It's all right if some things come out wrong.
We'll sing a happy song, and you can sing along." - Buffy

Yes, last night BJ and I got our geek on at the Buffy Singalong!! For those unfamiliar (which in my opinion is a HORRIBLE tragedy) "Buffy" refers to Buffy the Vampire Slayer which is an intelligent, cult classic show based on a mediocre movie (ok "bloody awful" movie per BJ). I actually got into Buffy rather late, tuning in during the latter part of the 6th season, and was immediately hooked! JCR also developed an obsession and as I recall we were both devastated that I had to leave for nursing school just prior to the series finale. I'm sure those who haven't seen the series will never believe me, but it's witty, well written and empowering in its use of a good-looking, petite blonde girl as a demon killer. Don't believe me? Check out season 1 on Netflix or I'll lend it to you :)

Buffy has now been gone since 2003, but the fans clearly live on. The singalong is the brainchild of a Denver native now living in NYC and a cast of characters who saw the potential of taking the musical episode "Once More With Feeling" from Season 6 and turning it into a Rocky Horror style event. I remember the first time I saw the episode, the network made a really big event of the first time they replayed it (I wasn't a watcher at the time it originally aired) and JCR and I got together at my apartment in Denver and watched it for the first time. It was magical!! As for the singalong, I actually had never heard about it, but happened to be driving past The Esquire which is one of the local independent theaters and saw "Buffy Musical" on the marquee. When I got home, I checked out their website and read about it and was SO HAPPY to see that it was playing at midnight on my last weekend in Denver, while BJ was here!!! The only tragedy was that JCR was out of town and she couldn't join us. [Oh, you would have LOVED it!!!]

Basically if you've ever gone to Rocky Horror, you know the drill. Movie playing on the screen, cast of characters in costume acting out the movie in front of the screen, various props for the crowd, and the occasional devoted fan dressed in costume. We arrived about an hour early and had a good place in line. It was interesting seeing the range of Buffy fans, from the 20 somethings, to the grey haired, to the tragically hip (of which we were a part) and then of course the grossly obese folks who clearly need to watch less TV and exercise more. The event was a lot of fun, we sang along without abandon, blew our bubbles at the appropriate time, did the wave, shouted things like "Shut up Dawn," and at the end put a little monster puppet on our fingers as we all sang Grrrr Aargh."

And even though there is a dramatic kiss at the end, let me go on the record as saying I ALWAYS thought Angel was the better vampire.