Writing a musical is quite a feat, and the creators of this year’s Waa-Mu production “Off The Map” certainly rose to the challenge. They succeeded in capturing the audience’s attention by showcasing the wide range of abilities of the cast members. “Off The Map” was a whirlwind of Northwestern-specific references, road trip adventures and fantastic talent. The show focused on a group of 42 NU students searching for one more chance to go crazy before the end of their senior year. Together the group traveled to New Orleans, though they each had different personal agendas. Some were there to rebuild with Habitat For Humanity, some to audition for an a cappella competition and others to party with their respective fraternity or sorority. Nevertheless, all realized they were no longer content with their lives at NU and were scared to go out into the real world. Many made big mistakes while others encountered seemingly impossible problems. But in the end, everyone returned to NU with a sense of relief. The road trip made the students reflect on their lives, and few got what they expected out of the experience. As the students donned caps and gowns, they felt surer of themselves and more prepared to face the unknown than they ever would have without that week in New Orleans. The writers of Waa-Mu adequately captured the feelings of a senior about to leave the safety of NU to dive into the real world, and the exceedingly talented cast conveyed this message well. The 42 cast members had strong voices, some powerful dancing abilities and strong embodiments of their characters. However, much of this got lost in the overwhelming size of the cast. Although it was not hard to follow the different story lines, it was impossible to connect with individual characters because many were so similar. Even those that had more unique plot lines (the boy and the girl attempting to find love by stowing away in the luggage compartment of a bus, for example) had minimal stage time, causing their individual character development to be weak. By the end of the show, I did not remember any of the characters’ names and could only specifically recall characters with salient plot lines. Overall, “Off The Map” was a fairly entertaining show dominated by the exhibition of talent, but lacked focus on character development. However, the most compelling part of the show was watching this great student collaboration come to fruition. NU students are truly a talented bunch, and “Off The Map” certainly made that clear to its viewers. -Megan Bounds