[1] It is based on the 1900 novel The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum and the 1939 film version written by Noel Langley, Florence Ryerson and Edgar Allan Woolf.
Successful musicals based on the Baum novel were created in 1902 (for Broadway) and in 1942 (for St. Louis Municipal Opera), the latter of which, using songs from the popular 1939 film, is still frequently revived.
A loose adaptation of Baum's 1900 novel (there is no Wicked Witch, magic shoes or Toto, and there are some new characters), it first played in Chicago in 1902 and was a success on Broadway the following year.
A new song was added for Dorothy to sing in the Emerald City, called "Evening Star", and the Wizard goes home in a rocketship instead of a hot air balloon.
... An additional verse has been put back into the Academy Award-winning song 'Over the Rainbow,' as well as an entire number, 'The Jitterbug,' that was cut from the movie.
Dorothy Gale, a young girl living on a Kansas farm with her Aunt Em and Uncle Henry, dreams of escaping her mundane life ("Over the Rainbow").
Unable to reclaim her sister's shoes, which are now on Dorothy's feet, the Witch vows to return and disappears in a cloud of smoke.
Dorothy, seeking a way back home to Kansas, sets off to see the Wizard of Oz ("Follow the Yellow Brick Road").
Along the way, Dorothy meets three new friends, each of whom bemoans the lack a crucial characteristic: The Scarecrow ("If I Only Had a Brain") the Tinman ("If I Only Had a Heart") and the Lion ("If I Only Had the Nerve").
The travelers, arriving at the Emerald City, are delayed by a stubborn Gatekeeper, but Dorothy's tears convince him to relent and let them in ("Merry Old Land of Oz").
The Wizard remains imperious and imposing, but Toto pulls aside a curtain to reveal a meek and ordinary man speaking into a microphone.
The Wizard, revealed to be a "humbug", nonetheless grants each traveler's request, giving the Scarecrow, the Tinman, and the Lion each a token of his newly-acquired ability.
Reunited with all her loved ones, and relieved to learn the storm has left Miss Gulch incapacitated by a broken leg, Dorothy shares the tale of her miraculous journey, celebrating the joy and healing power of home.
The original cast featured Imelda Staunton as Dorothy Gale; Bille Brown (in drag) as Miss Gulch/the Wicked Witch of the West; Dilys Laye and later Joyce Grant as Aunt Em/Glinda, the Good Witch of the North; and Trevor Peacock as Zeke/the Cowardly Lion and Sebastian Shaw as The Wizard of Oz/Professor Marvel.
The RSC version's first outing in the U.S. was in 1988 in a production starring Cathy Rigby as Dorothy (she had made her musical debut in the role in a 1981 MUNY revival) and Lara Teeter as the Scarecrow.
According to USA Today, the show was "Built to play about 70 stadiums across the country, the $5 million production opened Wednesday at Radio City Music Hall.
[6] The New York Times review noted that "Robert Johanson and James Rocco, sharing credit for direction and choreography, are attempting to relive the movie with up-to-the-minute stage effects.
It's well-acted and extremely well-sung by a cast that draws on the movie classic's indelible characterizations of Dorothy, the Scarecrow, the Tin Man, the Cowardly Lion, etc.
Jackson Browne, Roger Daltrey and Nathan Lane played the Scarecrow, Tin Man and Lion, respectively.
Co-produced by the Paper Mill Playhouse, it used a shorter version of the show, 90 minutes long, and a score designed for younger audiences.
Directed by Paper Mill artistic director Robert Johanson, the cast included Roseanne Barr as the Wicked Witch of the West and Ken Page, Lara Teeter, and Michael Gruber as the Cowardly Lion, Scarecrow, and Tin Man, respectively.
[28][29] The cast included pop-star Nikki Webster as Dorothy, Delia Hannah as Aunt Em/Glinda, Kane Alexander as Hunk/Scarecrow, Doug Parkinson as Zeke/Cowardly Lion, Pamela Rabe as Miss Gulch/Wicked Witch, and Bert Newton as Professor Marvel/The Wizard.