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The Wizard of Oz on Tour
Audiences have been going off to see The Wizard of Oz since 1902, when the first musical adaptation of L. Frank Baum's novel premiered at the Chicago Grand Opera House.
Published to general acclaim in 1900, Baum's children's novel The Wonderful Wizard of Oz sold more than 3 million copies and introduced readers to Dorothy, Toto, the Scarecrow, the Tin Woodman, the Cowardly Lion, the Wicked Witch of the East, the Good Witch of the North, and the Wizard himself. After writing "America's greatest and best-loved homegrown fairytale," as the Library of Congress characterized it, Baum went on to write 13 Oz sequels.
When he wrote his 1902 musical adaptation, Baum replaced Toto with a cow named Imogene, introduced new characters (including the waitress Trixie Tryfle and the loopy Cynthia Cynch), and deleted the Wicked Witch of the West – who reappeared in a 1910 silent-film adaptation of Baum's book before starring in her own hit stage musical some nine decades later.
One of the greatest movies ever made, the 1939 MGM Technicolor musical version of The Wizard of Oz was directed by Victor Fleming (who left mid-production to take over Gone With the Wind) and starred Judy Garland, Ray Bolger, Jack Haley, Bert Lahr, Frank Morgan, Billie Burke, Margaret Hamilton, and the Singer Midgets as the Munchkins. It won Academy Awards for Best Music and Best Original Song ("Over the Rainbow"). Garland, 16, garnered a special honorary Academy Juvenile Award for her unforgettable portrayal of Dorothy Gale.
The Wizard of Oz became part of America's cultural DNA between 1956, when it was first broadcast on network television, and 2005, which marked the last nearly annual network broadcast before it moved exclusively to cable.
There have been plenty of other notable Wizard of Oz musical adaptations. A 1959 Holiday on Ice rendition. The Afrocentric 1975 musical The Wiz. The Royal Shakespeare Company's 1995 concert performance featuring Jewel as Dorothy, Roger Daltrey as the Scarecrow, and Jackson Browne as the Tin Woodman. And of course Wicked, which has dazzled Broadway audiences since 2003.
But never fear: A magical time is guaranteed no matter which musical version of The Wizard of Oz you're off to see.
The Wizard of Oz was true to its theatrical original. What great performances by all the actors. The songs were sung incredibly well. Such a talented cast. The sets were also well done. Had a wonderful experience.
We were very impressed with the venue and actors/actresses. They kept with the original story. Our entire family enjoyed this play! This was our first time at this theater. We will be back!!
Great performance. Good cast. Grand kids loved it.
We were so disappointed in the acting and the revised script (how dare you?) that my daughter and I left at intermission.
My Grandson and I enjoyed the musical very much. The theater is amazing and I love it each time I go.
The Tennessee Theater is beautiful and we really enjoyed the Wizard Of Oz. Would recommend it to anyone from the ages of 1 to 101 !
From the venue, to the seats, to the show, what a wonderful evening
A wonderful show in a awesome venue and there was a full house to see this classic. Very enjoyable!
Way beyond my expectations and i know many people who went and felt the same way!
The Wizard of Oz is a classic, timeless. This version was beyond terrible. Let me break it down: -While The Tennessee Theatre is beautiful and I have seen many productions there, this production did not make good use of the space. The sets left a lot to be desired. Unless your seat was directly in the middle, you could not see everything. -All of the munchkins were taller than Dorothy. All of them. -There was no yellow brick road. At all. I'm not sure how ANY BODY can think to do The Wizard of Oz with no yellow brick road. -Dorothy had the voice of a munchkin. -Modern day references for laughs are an insult to the classic The Wizard of Oz is. Two examples: Wicked Witch of The West stating she recognizes her sister under the house by stating "only she would wear those stockings with those shoes." The other example is the Cowardly Lion giving reference to The Lion King. The production company decided to put their own twists on a classic and it turned out horribly.
Play was one of the best I've seen. ALL performers were excellent and no one stood out over the others which validated the cast's talents.
The show was great and brought back a lot of childhood memories from the songs. The display for each scene was well put together along with the costumes as well. Had a great time with the family!
The show was fantastic. The venue was amazing. Definitely recommend!
The production was fantastic the crew was amazing and the dog stole the show
Our high school did a rendition of The Wizard of Oz that was just as good as this one as far as sets and singing. It was fine, but for $75 per seat, I expected more elaborate sets.For a traveling Broadway production, it just didn't have the flash you expect. Also, the Wicked Witch was difficult to understand... especially for my hard-of-hearing dad. But even I couldn't understand her most of the time. Too fast and shrill I suppose. All in all, it was OK, and of course the Tennessee is a wonderful venue. Perhaps if you took a bunch of kids it would have been more impressive to them, but who can afford that at $75 per seat? Frankly the Tennessee could have shown the old Judy Garland movie of this on the big screen and I would have enjoyed it just as much.
Choreography was bad and music fair. The performers were not together on several dances.
Very enjoyable !! First time in the Tennessee Theater since the renovations. The place is beautiful. .
Wonderful play. Great actors and backdrops. I felt transported into the land of Oz.
Great show. Good to change up the original as a surprise! Good singers and dancers. And good humor.
I am hooked on broadway shows ... I seen dirty dancing and now Oz ... love
