The Wizard Of Oz

Rebecca Varidel
28th Nov 2017


In the fabled 1939 film
a young Frances Ethel Gumm and her ruby red slippers, head off down the yellow brick road towards the Emerald City, meet a Tin Man, a Cowardly Lion and a Scarecrow, Witches and a Wizard, and are accompanied by toxic makeup and over 3,000 costumes. Today The Wizard Of Oz, the children's novel written by L. Frank Baum is known and beloved by all. The Wizard Of Oz was where the musical magic all began, from the black and white of Kansas to the colourful "Over the Rainbow". With music by Harold Arlen and lyrics by E.Y. Harburg "Over The Rainbow" won an Academy Award, was ranked the greatest movie song of all time by The American Film Institute and also became the best known tune from a huge life long repertoire for the talented Judy Garland.

Developed from the ever-popular MGM screenplay, the London Palladium production of The Wizard of Oz contains the beloved Harold Arlen and E.Y. Harburg songs from the Oscar-winning movie score, all the favorite characters and iconic moments, plus a few surprises along the way, including new songs by Tim Rice and Andrew Lloyd Webber.

The London Palladium production of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s The Wizard of Oz had its Australian Premiere in Brisbane at the Lyric Theatre, QPAC earlier this month and heads to the Capitol Theatre, Sydney from December 30.

Leading The Wizard of Oz cast are Anthony Warlow as The Wizard and Professor Marvel, Lucy Durack as Glinda the Good Witch and Jemma Rix as The Wicked Witch of the West, while rising star Samantha Dodemaide plays the coveted role of Dorothy, her first leading role in a major musical. Eli Cooper plays the role of the Scarecrow, Alex Rathgeber plays the Tin Man, and John Xintavelonis plays the Lion. The ensemble cast includes Paul Hanlon as Uncle Henry and Sophie Weiss as Auntie Em, alongside Justin Anderson, Sheridan Anderson, Lewis Beer, Shay Debney, Sage Douglas, Mikey Halcrow, Zoe Ioannou, Bree Langridge, Rubin Matters, Scott Morris, Justine Puy, Michael Roache, Mitchell Roberts, Emma Russell, Dean Schulz, Darren Tyler, Caleb Vines, Stephanie Wall and Rachael Ward.

Click your heels together and join Scarecrow, Tin Man, Cowardly Lion, Dorothy and her little dog Toto, as they journey through the magical land of Oz to meet the Wizard and obtain their hearts’ desires. Watch out for the Wicked Witch of the West and her winged monkeys as you rediscover the real story of Oz in this fantastic musical treat for the whole family.

Due to huge demand, new tickets for The Wizard of Oz in the final week of the season will go on sale from Monday December 4. The world’s favourite musical opens at Sydney’s Capitol Theatre on 30 December with many performances already sold out. Sydney audiences need to get in quick to catch this majestic production, as it must close on February 4 2018.

Image Lucy Durack, Samantha Dodemaide, Alex Rathgeber, John Xintavelonis, Eli Cooper (c) Jeff Busby

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