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The Wizard of Oz (R.S.C. 1987)

We're off the see the wizard! This beloved tale, in which a Kansas farm girl travels over the rainbow to discover the magical power of home, has entertained audiences for generations.

PLEASE BE ADVISED: There are multiple versions of this title. Before you proceed, please double-check to ensure that you are applying for the version you want. If you’re not sure which version best suits your needs, you may purchase a perusal for each available version.

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Description

  • Full Length Musical
  • Dramatic Comedy, Fantasy/Adventure
  • 120 minutes

  • Time Period: 1930s
  • Target Audience: Appropriate for all audiences
  • Set Requirements: Unit Set/Multiple Settings
  • Cautions: No Special Cautions
  • Orchestra Size: Large

  • Performance Group:
  • Dinner Theatre, Community Theatre, High School/Secondary, Professional Theatre, College Theatre / Student, Church / Religious Groups
Follow the yellow brick road in this delightful stage adaptation of L. Frank Baum's beloved tale, featuring the iconic musical score from the MGM film. The timeless tale, in which young Dorothy Gale travels from Kansas over the rainbow to the magical Land of Oz, continues to thrill audiences worldwide. 

There are two full-length versions of The Wizard of Oz: MUNY and RSC. Both include the songs "Over The Rainbow," "Munchkinland (Ding Dong! The Witch Is Dead)," "If I Only Had A Brain/A Heart/The Nerve," "We're Off To See The Wizard (Follow The Yellow Brick Road)," "The Jitterbug," and "The Merry Old Land of Oz." The MUNY version also has "Evening Star." The RSC version also includes "Poppies (Optimistic Voices)" and "If I Were King Of The Forest."

This RSC version is a more faithful adaptation of the film. A more technically complex production, it recreates the dialogue and structure of the MGM classic nearly scene for scene, though it is adapted for live stage performance. The RSC version's musical material also provides more work for the SATB chorus and small vocal ensembles.
REVIEWS:

"This is, to come out with it immediately, the most marvellous show."

Jeremy Kingston, The Times

"'Iconic' is an overused word these days, but when you’re talking about The Wizard of Oz, there’s really no other—whether you mean the 1939 film with Judy Garland, L. Frank Baum’s book (it came first, you know), or a stage version... this Oz, brimming with color, seduces and delights."

Collin Kelley, Atlanta In Town

"Since this classic movie first delighted children and grownups back in 1939, L. Frank Baum’s glorious fantasy has been a continual favorite. Whether on film, in print or live on stage, as it is at Chicago Shakespeare Theater, this fanciful story, with its inspiring lesson about friendship, is one of the most beloved in children’s literature... Did Yip Harburg and Harold Arlen have any idea of the enduring musical magic they’d created when they composed all those wonderful, infectious songs?"

Colin Douglas, Chicago Theatre Review


Premiere Production: The MGM film The Wizard of Oz, based on L. Frank Baum's 1900 novel, premiered at Grauman's Chinese Theatre in Hollywood on August 15, 1939. This stage adaptation was first presented by the Royal Shakespeare Company at the Barbican Centre in London in 1987.

Characters

  • Casting: 5M, 3F, 16M or F
  • Casting Attributes: Roles for Teens, Expandable casting, Strong Role for Leading Woman (Star Vehicle), Strong Role for Leading Man (Star Vehicle), Roles for Children
  • Chorus Size: Large

  • Principals
    DOROTHY GALE
    GLINDA (doubles as Aunt Em/Emily Gale)
    SCARECROW (doubles as Hunk - a farmhand)
    TINMAN (doubles as Hickory - a farmhand)
    LION (doubles as Zeke - a farmhand)
    EMERALD CITY GUARD (doubles as Uncle Henry/Henry Gale)

    From the Chorus
    THREE COWS - male trio
    THREE TREES - female trio
    MUNCHKIN MAYOR
    MUNCHKIN CORONER
    MUNCHKIN FIDDLER
    THREE MUNCHKIN TOTS
    THREE TOUGH MUNCHKIN KIDS

    SATB Chorus
    OZIANS
    JITTERBUGS
    MUNCHKINS
    NIKKO - commander of the monkeys
    POPIKINS, BEAUTICIANS, MANICURISTS and OFFSTAGE VOICES WITH THE ORCHESTRA - girls
    SNOWMEN, POLISHERS and WINKIES - boys

    Non-Singing
    MISS ALMIRA GULCH (doubles as Wicked Witch of the West)
    PROFESSOR CHESTER MARVEL (doubles as Wizard of Oz)

    • Available Material

    Name Price
    Perusal Material Shipped immediately. This is optional. Order Now

    1 x Libretto-Vocal Book

    		$24.00
    Pre-Production Pack Shipped upon receipt of a signed License Agreement and full payment of all invoices. This is optional.

    1 x Lib/Vocal Book
    1 x Piano Conductor's Score

    		$75.00
    Rehearsal Material Shipped a minimum of 3 months before the last performance. This must be hired as a condition of the License to produce this show.

    20 x Libretto/Vocal Books
    2 x Piano-Conductor's Scores

    		$550.00 +$135.00/pm
    Orchestral Material Shipped a minimum of 1 month before the last performance. This is optional.

    2 Violin I
    1 Violin II
    1 Viola
    1 Cello
    1 Bass
    1 Flute, Piccolo and Recorder
    1 Oboe and English Horn
    1 Reed I – Alto Sax, Clarinet & Bass Clarinet
    1 Reed II – Tenor Sax, Flute & Clarinet
    1 Reed III – Baritone Sax, Flute & Clarinet
    2 Horn I & II
    2 Trumpet I & II
    1 Trombone (doubles Tuba for #22 only)
    1 Harp
    1 Piano, Celeste & Synthesizer (Keyboard Synthesizer with registration for Honkytonk Piano, Strings, Celeste, Harpsichord, and Contrabass Clarinet)
    2 Percussion I & II
    Mallet Instruments: Timpani (2 Pedal Drums), Bells, Xylophone, Vibraphone, Chimes, Suspended Cymbal, Bass Drum/Cymbals Combo, Triangle, Tambourine, Ratchet, Spook Noises – ad lib. (or low Timp.), Siren, Temple Blocks (2 pitches), Mark Tree, Whistle, Anvil, Klaxon Horn, Gong, Steel SFX, Steel Drum (various pitches), Metallic Objects (or Steel Drum ad lib.).
    Trap Drum Set: Snare Drum (brushes & sticks), Bass Drum, Tom-Tom (2 pitches), Wood Block (2 pitches), Cow Bell (3 pitches), Triangle, Tam Tam, Spook Noises-ad lib., Cymbals – Hi-Hat, suspended, crash & ride, Metallic Objects (opt. various Cow Bells), Hollow Cylinder (opt. low pitch Cow Bell), Chimes (Bb Eb F).

    1 x Substitute for the upper Strings (Violin I, Violin II, Viola and Cello). 

    		$350.00 +$135.00/pm
    Partitur Shipped a minimum of 1 month before the last performance. This is optional.

    Full Score in 2 Volumes. Requires rental of the full orchestration. 

    		 $120.00 +$120.00/pm
    Libretto/Vocal Book 10 Pack Shipped a minimum of 1 month before the last performance. This is optional.

    10 x Libretto/Vocal Books

    		$50.00 +$50.00/pm

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