What surprised me... Hmmmm, that's an excellent question.
I'd never actually seen a real live professional production before, only high school shows. At the beginning, I kept waiting for little things to happen: line flubs, harmonies that weren't quite right, things like that. Then I realized that these people were all trained, and had been performing the show for a long time, so they all knew what they were doing.
But things that really surprised me? I don't know... Angel dancing on that table without breaking bones was pretty impressive.
I guess I was also surprised at just how emotional I got. I mean, I'm always crying, like when I first listened to the recording all the way through, so I thought I'd be over it by now. I was wrong! I was incredibly moved by the whole thing.