Posted: 1/18/16 at 5:11pm
Has anybody heard anything about this? I know it hasn't started performances yet but if anyone has seen any types of presentations or know of how it is I'd love to know! It looks very intriguing.
Posted: 1/18/16 at 6:22pm
They have a website. It is the production that ran at 59e59. Last I heard the same cast will do it at New World. It is based on the books. About how the tin man became the tin man. I missed it at 59e59 and am looking forward to finally getting a chance to see it.
Updated On: 1/18/16 at 06:22 PM
Posted: 2/5/16 at 2:49pm
I plan to see it on the 14th of this month. I think it is doing the 2 for one off-Broadway offer right now. I have one friend who didn't like it and one who gushed over it. It evidentally is not for everyone. There is no real dialogue from what I understand. A friend described it as a performance piece. There is music and I hear some interesting things done with the sound. I did have a chance to see the set. What they did inside that theater is wonderful. My jaw dropped. I am really looking forward to seeing this. Run time is about an hour and five minutes.
Posted: 2/5/16 at 4:26pm
Saw this at 59. It was one of the most interesting things I have ever seen. Unique. Chilling. Emotional. Dark.
If I recall correctly, there isn't any dialogue. There is a small amount of choral work but that's all I can remember.
I do remember that the sound was incredible and I can still hear the birds.
Posted: 2/6/16 at 1:12am
Upset that I now cannot see it on the 14th. Going for the 21st. I must see this.
Posted: 2/7/16 at 3:58pm
I saw it about a week ago. I enjoyed myself. The cast and ensemble work is strong and the puppetry is great and clever. I really enjoyed the design. It's about 70 minutes, which was nice. It's kind of slight since there's hardly any dialogue, but overall it was an enchanting evening.
Posted: 2/7/16 at 11:20pm
It's not a musical, no. It's a movement and puppetry heavy play with almost no dialogue. They do utilize a live violinist and some mostly wordless vocal themes (La dee da dee da) to advance the story and underscore the action, but I really wouldn't call it a musical. Curious if anyone has a differing opinion.
Updated On: 2/7/16 at 11:20 PM
Posted: 2/8/16 at 10:06am
I have seen several incarnations and look forward to seeing this staging.
It's not really a musical OR. A play, it is, as stated earlier, something different.. A puppetry perfomance piece, perhaps... More akin to seeing a ballet.
It really is a beautiful production, very rich, very detailed and elaborate yet quite simple. I can see where certain people who like to be spoon fed and have things spelled out may find it alienating, as it does require you to dial in and engage yourself. The musical scoring is beautiful and the sound of the show is subtle and rich, with all sound effects being manually created by the actors. Yes, there is an opening monologue to establish time, place and circumstance, but then you have to dial in and follow.
I agree with the earlier post that says the sounds of the birds are still vivid. They are absolutely fresh in my mind.
The three best moments coup de theatre moments for me, no spoilers, have to be the appearance of the Kalidah (I gasped and applauded that), seeing Nick Chopper become the Tin Woodsman one limb at a time, and particularly the 'reveal' with the cyclone that carries Dorothy to Oz.
James Ortiz's work on this production is absolutely fantastic and a wonderful exploration of a little retold chapter in THE WONDERFUL WIZARD OF OZ.
Posted: 2/18/16 at 10:20pm
I caught The Woodsman tonight and found it magical. The puppetry is artfully mixed in and I loved how they did the witch. Her breathing, arm movement and stature were enthralling. It gave me feels similar to Peter and the Startcatcher. The set takes over the theatre and the lighting and sound effects take you in from the very beginning. I'm probably going to try to catch it again.
Posted: 2/19/16 at 1:51am
uncageg said: "I plan to see it on the 14th of this month. I think it is doing the 2 for one off-Broadway offer right now. I have one friend who didn't like it and one who gushed over it. It evidentally is not for everyone. There is no real dialogue from what I understand. A friend described it as a performance piece. There is music and I hear some interesting things done with the sound. I did have a chance to see the set. What they did inside that theater is wonderful. My jaw dropped. I am really looking forward to seeing this. Run time is about an hour and five minutes.
"
what's the 2 for 1 offer? how do I find this?
Posted: 2/19/16 at 3:08am
Thinkoflaura, off-Broadway week's 2 for 1 ended on Sunday. 20at20 is coming up (20 bucks, 20 minutes before curtain). You can check to see if they are participating in that.
Posted: 2/19/16 at 1:52pm
thank you @uncageg
for those who've seen this... would one of the front mez/balcony rows be good seats to experience the show?
Posted: 2/19/16 at 2:15pm
It is in the smallest venue at NWS. I have sat in the balcony.. it is only two rows. Nice and intimate. I can't imagine it would be a bad seat.
I have seen this show from a front row spot, I have seen this show from further back. Equally good experiences.
Posted: 2/20/16 at 12:01am
I saw this last week. I can definitely see why the show can be polarizing. I understand both sides though I would definitely recommend seeing it.
Someone earlier mentioned Peter and the Starcatcher. To me, it reminded me more of the recent roundabout production of Into the Woods. If you liked those, you’ll probably like this one as well. I probably liked this one the least of the three because it’s really dark. It's also interesting, creative and unique though. Broadwayguy2 really nailed the highlights of the show and each of the three, in addition to the great puppetry of the witch, was very impressive and memorable, and those alone make it worth seeing. My main negative is that, to compensate for the lack of dialogue, there’s a whole lot of grunting and screaming going on. Sometimes it felt like I was watching an artistic version of a Saw torture movie. I wish they toned it down and were more subtle and trusted themselves to tell the story without the constant grunting. Similarly, I wish there were moments without the violin being played. It felt almost non-stop. The production made the brave decision to remove any dialogue but it didn’t seem to me that it trusted itself enough to be able to hold the audience’s attention without the dialogue and it unfortunately overcompensated in other ways. To be clear though, the positives outweigh the negatives and I recommend seeing it.
Posted: 2/20/16 at 12:57am
Absolutely in love with it. My entire office went and everyone raved about it for days.
Posted: 2/28/16 at 2:25pm
Saw this last night and thought it was terrific. So much ambience, creativity and talent!
Posted: 2/28/16 at 5:31pm
Saw this gorgeous, highly evocative piece today via 20 at 20. Very well worth it. As others have said, the movements of the witch were amazingly achieved, even to the point of doing an " in your face" 3-D -like experience at a Disney attraction that made some children around me gasp. The creature puppet, Kalida, emerges from the dark to great effect. Whether you prefer ruby red or silver slippers, this production is a standout.
Posted: 2/28/16 at 10:26pm
Don't really have anything to add cause everyone already summed up the show very well but I saw this tonight and really enjoyed it.
Really enjoyed the puppetry and loved how they decorated the entire theatre.
Posted: 3/3/16 at 9:30pm
This is a beautiful little production. The singing could be better at times but on the whole the performances were strong. I loved pretty much all of the design elements though I found some of the snapping/clapping superfluous at times when it didn't seem evocative of anything in particular. I do have two interpretive questions. Maybe I was a little distracted by something else going on onstage to form a more concrete opinion of what was happening.
1. When the servant girl that the Woodsman is in love with has her final confrontation with the witch and exits through the wood panels, what do you think is happening?
2. At the end when Dorothy appears do you think she was related to the woman the Woodsman was in love with? Also, why does Dorothy walk past the tin man and why does the play end with the green light?
I have some ideas but they're just vague guesses.
Posted: 3/3/16 at 10:54pm
1. She is running away.
2. They are not related. They are from two different worlds and share no relation. I am not sure what could give you that impression. Yes, they share a space, so she must physically walk by him, but this is about suspension of disbelief... She is not literally walking past him on the yellow brick road, they are at two different places on the yellow brick road. The green light reps resents the emerald city as the destination / hope.
