My cousin, Mark, bought tickets to see Wicked at the NAC, and just this past weekend, I went with him to go see it. I haven’t seen a musical since Phantom of the Opera in high school, and so I had no idea what to expect or if I would like it. I also hadn’t been to the NAC before, at least as far as I can remember.

It was quite the experience. It feels exactly like you would expect an old fashioned, pre-cinema theatre to feel like. While there wasn’t enough leg room, the seats were comfortable. The view we had was rather good, though the metal safety bar to stop us from plunging to our death while we walked to our seats was inconveniently placed at a height that the slightest slouching put it in the way.

Wicked itself was interesting, and made me excited for the upcoming movie, Oz the Great and Powerful. The songs weren’t as memorable as the Phantom of the Opera songs, and I’ve all but forgotten them all. The actors, stage performance, costumes, and lighting were all amazing. There were some great story elements, and some wonderful singing talent.

I am glad I went. I know though that going to see musicals isn’t really my thing though, as I kept thinking, “I wish I could change the camera angle, or zoom in tighter…” I guess I’ve become spoiled thanks to movies, television and the like.

I would still go see another musical though, but I’m much more excited about going back to the National Arts Centre in the fall (October 29th) to see Video Games Live as they come to Ottawa. I have seen the show before in Kingston, but look forward to seeing it again, as I really enjoy both the concept and execution of being in the audience while an orchestra plays great music from video games throughout time.