ALW writes 6 new songs for WIZARD OF OZ... — Page 2

If it ain't broke, don't fix it.

This reminds me of when I went to the CSO a few years ago to see them play the Brahms Requiem ( a pretty perfect piece of music), and they decided to inject it with this horrible modern composition between each movement of the requiem that was supposedly "honoring" and paying homage to the piece.

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Can't someone throw a pail of water on him?

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Hopefully he'll either learn from Phantom 2 (if it flops) or be too preoccupied with it (if it's a hit) to continue with his awful, unnecessary idea.

Can't he just do his own Wizard of Oz? Why does he have to "improve" on the original?

This is what he said about the songs he was adding:

For the West End production, Lord Lloyd Webber and lyricist Glenn Slater will also write new songs to complement classics from the original film such as Over the Rainbow. "We are going to write an opening number, and there is no song for the wizard," said Lord Lloyd Webber. "There isn't really anything for the wicked witch - pretty obvious holes."

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Look at what a winner "Wonderful" is!

P

So cast the Wizard as the guard too (like the movie) and have him sing "Merry Old Land of Oz". Have the witch sing the opening to "The Jitterbug", like the 1998 National Tour.

The Wizard of Oz is my number one love in life.

That being said, in THEORY--ALW is not wrong. Traditionally, Oz on stage has never been anything but horrid. In general, I would rather pay $100 to just watch the beyond brilliant movie, than to watch another poor attempt of putting the MGM musical on stage. At least, Lloyd Webber is trying to make it for the stage in a way that hasn't been done before (whether you dislike him or not, or find it mortifying that he might crap on an already perfect score. But again--it's a perfect score for a movie-- Never been done well on stage).

Sondheim would have politely declined the offer.

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Why not write 10 new songs instead of 6 and have a completely new adaptation that he doesn't have to share royalties on.

Waaa Waaa Cries Cries Boo Hoo Boo Hoo

I understand if they were redoing the movie and people were up in arms about it, but didn't the stage show have new songs that are not in the movie like "Optimistic Voices?" I honestly don't know. Either way....it's just like when people do revivals and add songs from other musicals of the composer's work. "State Fair" did this along with a few others. I know ALW did not write the original songs, but you catch my drift. Also, if Sondheim was doing this there would be constant orgasms across the nation. And we have no clue if he would "politely decline."

But that's all I'm saying. Please continue the bitching.

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Landry, I disagree. Nobody expected to hear "Over the Rainbow" in THE WIZ and nobody misses musical homages to the MGM film in WICKED.

Andrew Lloyd Webber certainly has the name recognition to be able to generate plenty of interest in a completely original adaptation of THE WIZARD OF OZ should he feel compelled to write a completely original score.