Happiness, thy name is Buffy sing-along

I have found my bliss and it involves watching a ten-foot-tall Giles singing a power ballad on the big screen while I and dozens of other nerdy nerds like me wave our lighters and cell phones from side to side in the audience. Yup, I finally have experienced the Buffy Musical Sing-Along...and I'm here to tell you, it was good.

If you've never seen the musical episode from the sixth season of Buffy, well, you should. What's it about, you say? A demon named Sweet curses the residents of Sunnydale, forcing them to sing their deepest secrets and fears. For the uninitiated, here's a little tidbit with a rollicking number about rabbits:



Nice, huh? You don't hear many songs about the evils of rabbits much anymore, do you? Not since Grace Slick ruined everything and sobered up. Selfish woman.

The sing-along jacked up the musical's fun level to approximately eleven and beyond as the entire audience sang along with gusto. It was like a really weird church choir. I'm pleased to report we were even able muster through when the sound crapped out on us during the Parking Ticket Song. The organizers of the show did a fine job getting everyone in the spirit, warming the audience up with trivia, karaoke and some videos. Everyone was given a goodie bag, too, filled with little Grr, Argh finger puppets, bubbles to blow during Dawn's ballet, poppers to pop during the Tara/Willow "No, This Song Is Not At All a Metaphor For Sex" duet, and more. And best of all, we were all encouraged to shout epithets at the screen whenever Dawn appeared. It was very therapeutic, and highly recommended. Try it at home!

This show tours around the country throughout the year and plays regularly at the IFC Center in New York. If you're a Buffy fan, don't miss the experience. Or if you're not a Buffy fan but just enjoy staying up late, telling imaginary children to shut up and singing about bunnies, then you should see it too. And then talk to someone about your problem. A professional maybe....