Tuesday, March 9, 2010

BTL's The Wizard Of Oz: A Review


This past Sunday, Tony and I went to see Broadway’s Theater League’s production of The Wizard of Oz and it was fabulous. As many of you know, I love, love, love Broadway plays and musicals. Last year I was lucky enough to win season tickets to the Broadway Theater League. This year, we’ve been to two shows – A Chorus Line and The Wizard of Oz.

The Wizard of Oz is based on the 1939 film of the same name, which is, as I’m sure you know, based on the book The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum. As a child, The Wizard of Oz was one of my most favorite movies, and still is to this day. It is truly a classic in my opinion. So, when I heard the musical was coming to Huntsville, I knew I had to go.

The show had two acts and many of the lines were the exact same as in the movie. The special effects were absolutely phenomenal! The wicked witch even threw fire at the scarecrow just like in the movie. I have no idea how she did it, but both Tony and I were impressed. The songs were all from the movie as well and made me want to get up and dance and sing along – in fact, I’ve been singing them ever since Sunday night. I think Tony’s probably tired of hearing me sing “If I were king of the forest”. The show was really well cast also, which makes a huge difference in these types of productions. There were a lot of children in the audience as well and I really didn’t hear any of them moving about or talking; so, obviously the show was quite captivating to them as well. And, did I mention there was a real live Toto! That Toto was one of the most well behaved dogs I have ever seen in my life. Tony was mesmerized by the dog and how still it was during the various scenes. You can’t beat a show with a real dog!

I have seen a lot of Broadways shows in my day, but I would venture to say that The Wizard of Oz has become one of my favorites. It had one of the best sets I have ever seen and was just an all around good show. I would definitely see it again.

If you happened to miss this production of The Wizard of Oz, then check out an upcoming local production of it, coming up at the end of April put on by Fantasy Playhouse. The tickets are around $10 and it is being directed by one of my co-workers, Billy Jenkins. Fantasy Playhouse is geared toward children, so don’t be afraid to load up your little ones for a night on the town. It’s sure to be a lot of fun.

1 comment:

Candy said...

I would love to take JC to see this. She loves the Wizard of Oz. Have I ever told you how much I hate the movie? It's so depressing to me. I can't stand to watch it when it comes on. I remember it use to come on every year during Thanksgiving. Not sure why but now everytime I see it I think of Turkey...haha. You know what I would love to see? Your Jim Brinkman impression while singing "If I were king of the forest". I would die laughing!!