"TWO VERSIONS OF OZ TO CHOOSE FROM Currently, there are two very different stage versions of "The Wizard of Oz" that are available for rental from Tams-Witmark (If you would like to stage a non-musical version of Baum's fairy tale, feel free to write it yourself, the original story is in public domain. However, you may need to fork out additional royalties to Tams if you use any songs and dialogue from the MGM film, as they are the exclusive rights holders to the staging of the film). They are the St. Louis Municipal Opera (MUNY) version, written in the early 1940's, and the 1987 Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC) version. The comparisons between these two very different adaptations are the focus of this essay. Though the MUNY version is similar to the Baum book in plot, its similarities to the 1939 film are minimal, utilizing almost none of the MGM film dialogue while retaining a handful of the famous Harburg/Arlen songs. The RSC version is now the most widely used version across the country, with its strong connection with the MGM film script. Where the 1939 film uses the style of a staged musical production number, as in the "Munchkinland" and "Emerald City" sequences both the MUNY and RSC adaptations follow suit. When film and stage techniques are not compatible, each version finds a different solution. ."
http://www.beyondtherainbow2oz.com/stagethewizard.html (Click for the afformentioned essay and a whole lot of information about staging the show.)
Updated On: 7/13/06 at 01:22 AM
