The Wizard of Oz in Concert: Dreams Come True
| The Wizard of Oz in Concert: Dreams Come True | |
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| Written by | L. Frank Baum |
| Narrated by | Joel Grey |
| Starring | Jewel Jackson Browne Roger Daltrey Nathan Lane Joel Grey Lucie Arnaz Debra Winger Natalie Cole |
| Music by | Herbert Stothart Songs: Harold Arlen E. Y. Harburg |
| Distributed by | TBS/Turner Video |
| Release date(s) | 1995 |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
The Wizard of Oz in Concert: Dreams Come True was a 1995 musical performance based on the 1939 film The Wizard of Oz (starring Judy Garland). The book and score of the film were performed on stage at Lincoln Center to benefit the Children's Defense Fund. The concert featured guest performers including Jackson Browne as the Scarecrow, Roger Daltrey as the Tin Man, Natalie Cole as Glinda, Joel Grey as the Wizard (a role he reprised in Wicked), Jewel as Dorothy, Nathan Lane as the Cowardly Lion, Debra Winger as the Wicked Witch of the West, and Lucie Arnaz as Aunt Em. The Boys Choir of Harlem appeared as the Munchkins, and Ry Cooder and David Sanborn performed as musicians.
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[edit] Production
The production consists of an abbreviated script and highlights most songs and musical numbers from the movie. The most notable difference was Uncle Henry and his Kansas farm hands do not appear in this production.[1]. The concert begins with Jewel as Dorothy Gale singing the complete version of Over the Rainbow. The concert also includes the song The Jitterbug which was cut from the original film.
Throughout the entire concert, the conductor and orchestra are featured on-stage with the performers. The performers are predominantly positioned at music stands reading the script and music (similar to reader's theatre). The choreography is different from the 1939 movie: noticeable differences include the Munchkins not dancing and at no point do the four principals (Dorothy, Scarecrow, Tin Man and Cowardly Lion) dance together. Throughout the production, various photos of “Wizard of Oz” artwork (such as a tornado, the Yellow brick road, The Emerald City, etc.) are projected on a screen in the back of the stage.
The tempi for various songs were changed to better feature specific talents of individual singers, including If I Only Had a Brain, which had a folk music tempo to highlight Jackson Browne and If I Only Had a Heart, which had a rock and roll tempo to highlight Roger Daltrey (Daltrey even swings his microphone, mimicking his Who persona).
Nathan Lane's portrayal of the Cowardly Lion included a version of If I Were King Of The Forest where he adds in addition to the lyrics "not, queen, not duke, not prince...or the Artist Fomerly Known as Prince." Phoebe Snow added a stirring "If I Only Had..." medley set to a solo piano, combining all 3 of the Scarecrow, Tin Man, and Cowardly Lion's desires. Unlike Jack Haley, Daltrey as the Tin Woodman hugged Joel Grey as the Wizard toward the end with a sweet "Thank you from the bottom of my heart"!
The performance was originally broadcast on TBS, and issued on CD and VHS video in 1996. The video has not yet been released on DVD. Both the CD and video are currently out-of-print.
[edit] Cast
- Jewel as Dorothy Gale
- Joel Grey as The Wizard / Professor Marvel / Doorman / Narrator
- Jackson Browne as Scarecrow
- Roger Daltrey as Tin Man
- Nathan Lane as Cowardly Lion
- Natalie Cole as Glinda the Good Witch of the North
- Debra Winger as Wicked Witch of the West
- Lucie Arnaz as Auntie Em
- James Waller as Toto
- Boys Choir of Harlem as the Munchkins
[edit] See also
- The Wizard of Oz (adaptations) — other adaptations of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz
[edit] External links
The Wizard of Oz in Concert: Dreams Come True at the Internet Movie Database
[edit] References
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