From Punk Rock to Broadway – An Unexpected Journey to Oz (original) (raw)

It might not be expected that a punk rock legend like Glen Matlock might take a venture towards a mainstream entertainment outlet like NYC’s Broadway theater, but stranger things have happened in the world. Trust us, the longer you live, the stranger things might seem and the more things you will accomplish in life, whether its the minuscule or the massive.

One of those seemingly minuscule things is a punk rock legend going to see a Broadway show massively popular with teenage and pre-teenage girls. While “Wicked” is incredibly popular and has been a long standing top earner at the Theater District box-offices, its not been a show that’s all that very popular with Glen’s demographic, i.e. white, middle-aged, former rock stars. Nonetheless, here we are!

Got Cheap Tickets, So Why Not?

Wicked the Musical at the Gershwin Theater in NYC

You might be asking yourself how this happened. Well, as a wise man once said, the answer to all your questions is money. In this case, lack thereof. A friend came across some valuable tickets to see Wicked the Musical here, and was unable to attend. Without the time to resell the tickets, they were given to us at a severe discount (really just a song, to be honest).

Not wanted to waste valuable tickets or what might be an enjoyable experience, we decided to make a night of it. Considering the fact that people line up outside the Gerswhin theater to get these tickets for cheap, who would we be to turn them down? Of course we could have found a family of tweens to bestow them upon, but we thought it would be possible to enjoy it, so why not?

Did We Enjoy It?

That’s hit or miss. On the one hand, its certainly not our cup of tea. We aren’t really the musical theater type, even though we make our living making music. The singing and dancing really goes diametrically opposed to our own genre. So no, Wicked the Musical did not fit with our preconceived notions of an enjoyable experience, but then again…

I’ll have to say, it was quite an experience and a very impressive demonstration of talent. The actors and actresses, I don’t even know their names, but they were all extraordinarily talents in their portrayals of the characters.

Furthermore, the story itself, which backtracks through a history of the Wizard of Oz, before Dorothy and all that, is actually quite intriguing. I’m considering picking up a copy of the Novel which the show was based on. While I might not be into Broadway musicals all that much, I actually don’t despise fantasy novels at all. I wonder whether this would be enjoyable as well.

Lessons Learned

All in all, it was an experience I won’t regret, mainly because I never expected to experience it! Take this as a tip, when something drops in your lap, take it up. The worst thing that could happen is that it will waste your time (which, be honest, you were probably going to do anyway).