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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 theater was beautiful and our seats were amazing! The play came to life right before our eyes and the actors seemed as though they were pulled straight from the original movie. Every actor was incredible, but the lion was my favorite! His voice, his actions were so surreal. I would highly recommend this play to anyone!
I was pleasantly surprised at how well the production was run. Not only did it play out just like the movie (not leaving a line out, at all), but there was a live dog, too!! Something totally unexpected. The woman who plays the Wicked Witch sounds just like the woman in the film, and the remaining characters added just enough of thier own personalities into thier roles, which made it fun to watch. (The actor who played the Lion was great!) The woman who plays Dorothy, while a great actress, had too high of a pitch in her voice....it did make it difficult to listen to for 4 hours, and when she sang "Somewhere Over the Rainbow" I just didn't get the same "goosebumps" as when I hear the Judy Garland version. I didn't like the fact that I spent over $50 per ticket (bought 5 the week that the show was announced), but by the time of the show, the tickets were selling "2 for the price of 1". Not happy about that at all. But overall, the production was great
It was awesome. I enjoyed it so much. I took my daughters 4 & 5 and they really enjoyed it too. I would recommend to anyone.
Took my girlfriend to see this event just because the wizard of oz seems like a show everyone should see live once. The acting and singing was pretty incredible. I also liked the minor additions to make the play slightly more modern at times without taking anything away from the original story, such as references to the lion king and other small references that I cannot recall at this moment.
The kids and I loved seeing the Wizard of Oz at the Milwaukee Theatre. The show was well produced and acted. Toto was wonderful! The theatre was nice and the staff was helpful and patient with the children. I bought buy one get one free tickets and we sat in the balcony. Our seats were in the front row of the balcony in the middle. So, the kids could see without sitting on my lap.
I took my two daughters, 13 and 6, and my sister with her 10 year old daughter. Wizard of Oz was amazing for all of us. I'd have to say it was the special effects that really captured the essence of the play. We felt the acting was spot on. I would recommend this play to any age. It was a wonderful night out for "the girls". Thanks for a memorable performance!!
The tornado scene was probably the best. All and all, the special effects were disappointing. The biggest disappointment was the lack of any sort of yellow brick road, other than some cheesy lighting ocassionally shown in small parts of the stage floor. The Yellow Brick Road is a key element in this show and to have it de-emphasized was disappointing. Toto and the actors who played the scarecrow, tin man and lion were the best part. Overall, it was a nice show, but I had bigger expectations.
The Wizard of Oz was absolutely fantastic. I loved the performance of the Cowardly Lion who captivated the audience with his humor and ability to interact with the audience. Overall the show was best described as captivating. They used limited props yet did not miss any part of the storyline. I was most impressed by the inclusion of local talent; some of the munchkins were recruited from Accent on Dance. What a fantastic opportunity for these children to experience a professional live performance. Had I not been aware of this fact I would have easily assumed all roles were played by professionals. The children did an outstanding job and were a pleasure to watch! I would highly recommend this play to all age groups.
The Wizard of OZ was amazing. My family loved the singing, acting and special effects. As HUGE fans of the movie, this experience added to our love for the Wizard of OZ. If you have the opportunity to see this play do not hesitate!!
This was a wonderful show. The staff was helpful and personable. I really enjoyed the presentation. The special effects were amazing and we recieved BOGO free!!!
My wife and I took our niece to see the Wizard of Oz at the theatre. she had seen the movie and when we asked her after the show which was better she replied " the theatre was the Bomb because everything was right there in front of you!!" she had the "best time ever."
The performance was outstanding. First play I have gone to and I was blown away!!
we went and were very disappointed. We seen better acting at an elementary school play.
The Wizard of Oz was terrific. My 6-year old was captivated. I was amazed that the tornado scene was so well done. 5 stars for sure!
This has been my favorite movie since I was a littlt girl. I thought they did and Amazing job with the Broadway Production!! The special effects were incredible...I would go see it again it was that good.
The whole play was absolutely wonderful. I would see it again and again. The only part that I thought was a little strange was the doodlebugs (I think that's what they were called) I wasn't overly thrilled with the insertion of that scene, but it was their personal touch to the play. Overall I enjoyed the performance and the whole cast did a great job.
I took my 2 older grandchildren for the first time and they loved the show. They want to go back in Nov. for Grease!!
