totally awesome!
by avag on 7/14/09Milwaukee Theatre Wisconsin Center District - MilwaukeeNot only was the venue a perfect place to see a show but the show itself was amazing! Very professionally done. Suitable for all ages.
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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.
Not only was the venue a perfect place to see a show but the show itself was amazing! Very professionally done. Suitable for all ages.
The Wizard Of OZ was everything I expected it to be !!! Very well done !!
I purchased the tickets for our anniversary, as my wife is a huge Wizard of Oz fan. The stage show was incredible. The special effects were great!
The preformance far exceded my expectations, the acting, singing, and inovative sets, were out standing. When liberties were taken, slightly, deviating from the classic movie version with Judy Garland, I belive the addaptations helped to make the stage preformance a delightfull experince for young and old alike. My only regret during and after, is not enjoying the preformance with my grandchildren, who I belive would have enjoyed it equal to me.
Overall, it was very nice. The kids very much enjoyed the performance and it was clearly aimed at them. There were some nice performances, most notably the lion. However much of the cast was serviceable. Adults should not go here to see a Broadway performance; this is a show to be enjoyed with and as a child (at least in spirit).
It was better then I thought it would be. It was terrific. The Acting and the Special effects were really more then I expected . I would recommend this show to everyone. Even children. I would see it again if it comes back, or even within travling distance. I would even take my grandchilden to see it next time. Great Great Great Show.
The show was terrific. Loved how it followed the movie as accurately as possible for being a live performance. The scarecrow and lion were fantastic. I would definitely recommend for children and all of the WOZ fans!
My 5 year old daughter loves the Wizard of Oz and this show did not disappoint. It was very appropriate and entertaining for all age groups. The special effects were great. A really great outing!
I thought the sound effects were excellent! The crops could use a little more attention to the reall thing! I thought it was cool!
Follow the yellow brick road to go and see this musical! The cast put on an amazing performance, especially ToTo! The set was put together very nice, along with the costumes. It made it easy to feel like you were really in the moment!
This was a fabulous show for young and old alike!! The music, the Choreograpy, lighting,props, costumes and the actors were astounding!! My 13 year old was astounded by this event. I literally cried at the end!! BRAVO to all involved for a great performance.
My step-mom and I have always loved the Wizard of Oz so when I saw they were having a musical I was really excited. I decided to surprise my step-mom with tickets for her birthday!! Her and I just loved the show. It was very entertaining and the actors/actresses played the parts perfectly. The only thing I would suggest doing differently is creating a different set. I felt like it wasn't as believable as some other musicals that I have seen. Other than that, the show was wonderful and we definitely would recommend others seeing it.
The singing was very good. Besides sets they used effects to work through the tornado etc and it worked very well. Followed the main book/movie very closely and the actors fit their parts. We really liked it and would recommend it... plus the dog was perfect!
My daughter loves the Wizard of Oz. She owns everything OZ! We sat in the second row and thought the performance was outstanding!
The Wizard of Oz was absolutely wonderful! The actors were adorable, the scenery fantastic (especially the tornado scene) and the story was just as fresh as ever. Even the kids were mesmerized, as were the adults. And yes, there was a lot of clapping, smiling, laughter and even a bit of kid's singing along the way. I give it 5 stars and would go again the next time it comes back to Milwaukee. I feel like I've now visited the land of Oz!! This theatre is a great venue for the event also.
It was very well done. I took my 4 year old granddaughter who was initially afraid to go because of the "Wicked Witch." However, the production was so well done, she forgot all about her fears. The "munchkins" were delightful. The scenery was fantastic! Great performance by all!!!
I saw the Wizard of Oz with my 2 children, ages 9 and 10. I thoroughly enjoyed it, but the children claimed it wasn't as good as they were hoping. The 10 year old saw it before acted out by children that were physically challenged and she informed me that show was MUCH better. Leaving me a bit disappointed. Not to mention how many people kept walking into the show late - 'seating times' should be printed on the tix to prevent those types of issues in the future.
The play was great. My 5 year old daughter and I enjoyed it a lot. At times it felt like being inside the movie, not like a play at all!
The cast really showed there talent in all areas in this one. There voices were sapurb and there dancing was exsquisite. The costumes were very much like the movies. All in all the show was a Great big Success! GREAT WORK!!!!!!!! TOTO WAS VERY WELL TRAINED.GOOD BOY.
When I found out that the Wizard of Oz was coming to Milwaukee, there was not doubt that I had to have tickets. I purchased the tickets close to 7 months in advance so that I was guranteed to have great seats. The timing was perect as it was the week of my now 4 year old daughter's birthday. She has been watching the movie since she was 2 and had memorized many of the words and fell in love with the movie. During the whole production of the play she was sitting on the edge of her seat with all attention drawn to the play, to say the very least, she LOVED it. Great show, would go again.