Well, that's not the same logo as the 1998 tour, but I hope it's true. I loved that production. Eartha Kitt and JoAnne Worley were two wonderful wicked witches.
I saw the show when I was a child (my first show) and was in shock. I would watch the movie every day, so to see it on stage was thrilling...I was in awe. I really hope that this is true.
"I mean, sitting side by side with another man watching Patti LuPone play Rose in GYPSY on Broadway is essentially the equivalent of having hardcore sex." -Wanna Be A Foster.
"Say 'Goody.' Say 'Bubbi.'" ... "That's it. Exactly as if it were 'Goody.' Now I know you're gonna sing 'Goody' this time, but nevertheless..."
This is the production that played in Southampton last christmas, and hate to say it, it was pretty poor. However they did try to 'panto' it up, and as the USA doesnt have Panto it may be a slightly better production. Pretty minimal sets and cheap costumes, was a huge seller, but audience feedback wasnt strong.
This is coming to the Fayetteville AR where I live next week -- was curious to see that Cassie O (ala Legally Blonde, the first one kicked off) is Dorothy. I can post my impressions if anyone is curious.
Yeah, in the British production the Witch was played by a man. They seem to have fixed that for the American tour.
I still don't get why they wouldn't give the Witch green skin, another thing they did in the British production. What would be the point? Were they trying to avoid comparisons to a certain other show about the Wicked Witch?
Well technically there is nothing wrong with no green skin considering that the play was written BEFORE the movie & certainly before the green was added.
Neverandy, I was suprised as well.. for numerous reasons. It's a bizzare day when Non-Eq companies play stints in major New York venues.
From all I have seen of Cassie as Dorothy, she seems fine in the role and I would like the chance to see.
"The Wicked Witch was played by a man (Matthew Kelly)? And they didn't even give him/her green skin? Why???" "Then the Witch is played by a man??? What has this tour come to?" "Yeah, in the British production the Witch was played by a man. They seem to have fixed that for the American tour. I still don't get why they wouldn't give the Witch green skin..."
Those quotes kind of sum up why I think this tour is a creative disaster on the part of Networks. In Britian, reinventing Oz is not very hard. It happens all the friggin time. Here in the US, however, people INSIST that MGM's Oz is the only Oz, so when you deviate too far, people hate it. It's an incredibly challenging and fine line to walk here when doing that show. A British director simply can not understand that. I do applaud them for the risk though. They also did take steps to "Americanize" it in a few ways.. ie the New Witch, the new Tinman costume, etc.
But seriously people, there is NO reason that the Witch HAS to be green - she certainly wasn't in the book, and it's never mentioned in the film. It is only of consequence in Wicked.. which this is not. If a person can't distinguish between cannonical Oz work and the MGM product and Wicked, then the person needs to ask the Wizard for a brain, because their's isn't working.
There is also NO reason that the Witch can not be a "Dame" role. It was ocnceived as such by the Royal Shakespeare Company when they created the stage adaption!
As far as the tour quality, the tornado intrigues me, the "Delirious Escape" animation at the end is great Dorothy clicks the heels and you see the plot happen in reverse, with set pieces whirling through the air and the Yellow Brick Road being sucked into a vortex, brick by brick). The Kansas animations annoy me and the production is diffinately done on the cheap. You can expect the animals to be wonderful though - trained by Bill Berloni and each haveyears of time in Oz productions.
Thank you TimeSquare3 for the link. Was that Cassie O. in the video? I couldn't tell. And Broadwayguy2 I see what you mean. The Wicked Witch doesn't have to be green or played a female. Oh and also good argument about how americans only see the Wizard of Oz done the MGM way. Maybe thats why I thought the witch HAD to be green and HAD to be played by a female.
"i had no idea billy elliot was about one boy's triumph over epilepsy."-FindingNamo
Thanks for the pics! The show site has the current tour cast.. and you can easily find a commercial or two for the original British run online to compare a tad bit.
Thanks, broadway122. I actually Wizard of Oz is one of the trickiest productions to stage. Not simply in size, but because everyone such specific idea about what it should be... and the almost always want what was in the movie. Finding a good balance of the film icons (stars, choreo, design) and originality that realy satisfies and can coexist is HARD.