Wicked

Last night Brian and Tom surprised Chae and I...saying we were going out, and to dress up. So we did...and we drove downtown and ate at Luna Maya. I thought that was the surprise...until they asked for the bill early, rushed us outta there like crazy people, (Tom) drove like a madman...and landed us at Chrysler Hall. Hmmm. They still wouldn't tell us what we were doing there, and we couldn't recall what was playing at the moment. Wicked!! AHHH! How cool! Good surprise, guys.

For those that may not know, Wicked is a broadway play, but they travel off broadway and are here for a few weeks only (to a sold out show!). It is a play based on the Wizard of Oz. This is as much as I knew about it, aside from knowing one of the popular songs from the musical.

I haven't seen the Wizard of Oz since was a young teen I'm sure. We went through a phase where we'd watch it about everyday on VHS...haven't seen it since then! So my Oz knowledge is a little rusty, but it was very easy to follow nonetheless. It's the story "behind" the movie. Almost like the prequel. **Spoiler alert** It shows how the tin man, the scarecrow and the lion came to be. It goes into the history of the witches of the west, east, and north. The only inconsistency to the movie I found, was that in the play, Elphaba (the Wicked Witch of the West) was not wicked at all but set-up by the Wizard, and misunderstood by all. But in the movie...she really was evil (hahaha! My pretties!!). But everything else lined up pretty good I thought (aside from the temporary kidnapping of Dorothy, haha).

My Critique (and please understand, I speak from personal conviction here): It was very entertaining and fun. An extremely well done play and performance. Although I do not personally condone "witches" or making light of the spiritual realm - essentially, I am against promoting evil as though it is good. Evil is evil, and should not be celebrated as the "hero" when we know what the Lord has to say about such matters, very plainly. So this play did blur those lines a little bit, as the witches were supposed to be good and not evil (although perceived as evil by the Ozians). But I did appreciate the overall light-hearted and comedic tone, it was not all about the witches, spells, the wizardry etc. (more about the people and their lives). It was a fun night, and although there remains caution about the content at its core - mainly I would suggest that children not see it, and adults of course proceed with a discerning spirit.

It's definitely a first for Brian and I to have such an eventful date night! Thanks here really goes to Tom, the mastermind behind the plan. They bought our tickets as a thank you for Brian's help with their bathroom remodel.

Here are two of my favourite songs of the night!

Defying Gravity, from the play, Wicked. Performed by Rachel & Curt, from Glee. This was the only song I was familiar with before attending the musical

And after seeing the musical, a new fave...Popular, performed by Kristin Chenoweth