The Wizard of Oz

Depends. I know there are two versions out there. One is the movie version and then there's another closer to the book. I'm sure there's someone more knowledgeble (sp?) then me though :)

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I think it's the movie version.


Who sings The Jitterbug?

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Updated On: 12/21/05 at 07:50 PM

dorothy and the trio i think sing jitterbug but I could be wrong

dorothy and the trio i think sing jitterbug but I could be wrong

Wow... quarter post... That's new.

I eas in this last summer. In the show, you find out more on the history of Oz itself, and of course you get "The Jitterbug."

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Updated On: 12/21/05 at 08:37 PM

A production I was in a long time ago had a specific lead dancer play the Jitterbug. It was, as the name implies, a big dance number. It doesn't add a whole lot; it's supposed to be sort of scary, though, and it comes just prior to the monkeys coming and taking Dorothy away.

This sounds like a production I saw some years ago. The Scarecrow, Tinman and Lion have intro's to their songs (and the crows, in the Scarecrow scene, participate). Yes, Glinda sang Optimistic Voices as they were headed to the gates. Merry Old Land of Oz had an extended intro at the start where the gateman guided them in and talked about stuff (LOL: my memory's shocking)

This is the production from the Royal Shakespeare Company, which was done in the 80s (and is very faithful to the original movie). There's another version, which I call "the bastard" which is very weird, and has a new song named Evening Star

It's not very pleasant at all

P.S.

I would love to see a production of Oz in which Pink Floyd's Dark Side of the Moon were the songs performed in the story. That would be hysterical: Dorothy singing Time, the Munchkins on Money, the Witch or the Wizard on Brain Damage.

Or I'd like to see a gothic, horror version of Oz or Alice in Wonderland

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I didn't think your latter one (word-for-word) was legal.
How would you have done that?

Legally, there is only the RSC and the "bastard version" on offer. I wasn't aware of any others

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Updated On: 12/24/05 at 12:26 AM

The RSC version, which I was in, is the movie practically word-for-word with the addition of a few cameo parts here and there (crows during "If I Only Had a Brain", trees during "If I Only Had a Heart), a couple new solos (Glinda sings "Optimistic Voices" and there are new vocal parts in that song for the men), and "The Jitterbug" is added in the same place it was cut from the movie (right before Dorothy is snatched by the monkeys). In our version, Dorothy sang the Jitterbug, along with her trio of friends and the ensemble. I've seen versions where the Wicked Witch sings it, though.

In the MUNY version, it doesn't follow the move step-by-step. Liberties are taken to make it more adaptable to the stage (let's face it, The Wizard of Oz is a very technically demanding show) "The Jitterbug" is added, but in a different place (I don't know who sings it), and Dorothy sings a second song called "Evening Star". It's kinda weird for those familiar with the movie.

The RSC version is strongly preferred, though it's quite the show to put on. Big EVERYTHING in The Wizard of Oz.

Hope this helps.

There arn't any new songs in the stage version and I can't really think of any big differences.

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Gosh...I LOVED the Wizard of Oz when I was a little kid. My parents thought it was strange that I liked it so much, but I guess it's fitting that the first thing I fell in love with was a musical. Anyways, I think you can see clips "The Jitterbug" sequence that was cut from the movie version in the Collector's Edition DVD set.

~Rosalynn