The Wizard of Oz: NEW SONG- Red Shoes Blues — Page 4

PalJoey,
"Nobody Understands Me" sounds like low rent Sondheim. It has a speak-sing slow patter that could almost be equated to the Prologue from Into the Woods in style (though certainly not in quality) and makes several mistakes in musical themes and also complete changes the texture and relationship of Dorothy to Aunt Em and Uncle Henry in a negative way...

I agree with many of you who have posted previously.

Hannah's performance is great ... with a song that sucks.

There's no reason for it or need for it. And it sheds no new light on anything. Its just rehashed thoughts and emotions that have been mentioned previously in the script. The added songs are entirely redundant and unnecessary. They are boring and insulting to anyone's intelligence, including children.

That's what was so innovative about the MGM film score: it did everything that modern American musicals do. And by "modern," I mean everything from "Oklahoma!" on.

The Wizard of Oz was 1939. And Oklahoma! was 1942. So, while people claim that Oklahoma! was ground-breaking, in that every song advanced the plot or defined character, etc., this MGM score did the exact same thing, but three years earlier.

It's ridiculous to see that SEVENTY-plus years later, Webber has regressed to around 1900s-era musical/comedy.

He should be ashamed of himself.

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I just watched the clip.

That song is odious.

And why does Dorothy need to sing a song about nobody understanding her when 2 minutes later she sings "Over the Rainbow"?

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Updated On: 3/5/11 at 09:41 PM

^ This.

Interesting points, Besty.

Over the Rainbow is a fantastic opening number. Not to mention the fact that the Overture is completely brilliant as well.

because that it is how lazy people stage the show.. it's like skipping a rock across a lake.. it looks pretty and never breaks the surface, but there is so much more to be found if you dive in. the characters are often directed broadly - since some people believe that you must play it broadly to keep children engaged - and people are often directed to mimic the original film cast. double whammy. there is a LOT of things on a lot of levels that can be mined by people willing to do it.

well, i am sorry that you missed out on early childhood. lol. since oz has always been a part of my life, i can't comment on being introduced it later, but i will say that oz has grown with me and my appreciation for the story - mgm and not - has completely evolved and exists on a deeper, more intellectual level than it did as a child. and mgm's os to baum's oz as wick the musical is to wicked the novel..

^ Bingo! You're analyzing and holding something up so high when it's just a kid's story.

Clearly Oz is so much more than "just a children's story," otherwise it would not have lasted as it has and we would not be having this discussion. The original novel certainly has its place in the history of literature right alongside other "children's stories" as Alice in Wonderland & Through the Looking Glass, The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, Charlotte's Web, and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory to name but a few. The thing that makes those books so wonderful is that they do have so many fascinating levels. They can be easily enjoyed simply for the stories that they are, but to deny that they contain any deeper meaning or insight is a bit ignorant.

thank you, AEA.

TheatreFan--I feel sorry that you can't see beyond the surface value of something like "The Wizard of Oz." Regardless of when or where you first saw the film, or even if you don't care for it yourself, you lack the perspective, even as an adult, to understand why the story strikes a chord with so many.

This article from Psychology Today is about the enormous popularity of the film primarily, but it points to the basic story as well. You may not agree with what it says, but it should show you that adults, not just children, are impacted by this American fairy tale, because it invites us to see ourselves and the world and people around us through Dorothy's incredible journey.





Why 'The Wizard of Oz' is the most popular film of all time

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Updated On: 3/5/11 at 07:36 AM

Yeah PJ & Besty, you don't come off as patronizing twats at all.