Wizard of Oz RSC Olivier Awards

I always kind of had the notion this was kind of a strange production, but this performance at the Olivier Awards confirms it...
Whoa.

That clip was from an awards show and on the set of another show. I think that makes it a bit less weird.

Glinda and (oh hell I'll say it) Elphaba were played by...dudes?

---

Yeah, was it like a drag show?

---

I believe it's just the wicked witch being played by a man. Glinda was played by Joyce Grant. I've always assumed it was a British pantomime concept that allowed for a man in drag.

Did Dorothy have a gap in her teeth?

JoAnne Worley looks like she was a hoot in those Madison Square Garden clips.

This was the original RSC adaptation of The Wizard of Oz (the version that is often done in high schools and on national tours). It is a perfect adaptation (IMO). It manages to maintain all the famous quotes from the movie, all the songs (including much of the background music) and much of the story, while still adding some new things (such as restoring the Jitterbug, adding some new, beautiful orchestrations and dance music... and it just works as a theatrical piece this way). After reading this script and hearing the wonderful cast recording, I'm shocked that ALW thinks he can do better. Here's another clip: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RaGejGWBOe0

Also, Gillian Bevan (the actress playing Dorothy) sounds strangely like a mature Judy Garland.

Updated On: 7/26/09 at 12:12 AM

A recent production in Seattle changed Dorothy's dress and the audience freaked out.