A New Version of Oz

The Wicked Wizard of Ahhs is anything but your typical story that plays off of The Wizard of Oz, but rather a feature that offers patrons a good laugh. The story is currently opening this Friday, February 12, 201 at the Off Broadway Theater. This parody follows Dorrie (rather than Dorothy), a local Kamas girl who travels outside of Kamas and meets three lovable characters who take her to The Wizard of Ahhs (who is awe inspiring). The story follows Dorrie as she tries to get rid of the wicked witch and as she tries to protect her glittery shoes. She flies through the woods away from the witch’s monkey friends, including the gorilla Cocoa. The story features Alexis Owen as Dorrie, Melissa Cecala as Belva-Bub and is written by local producers and playwriter, Eric R. Jensen. The show is directed by Elise Hanson and directed by Mike Brown. The show runs Monday, Friday and Saturday the 12th of February through March 13th.

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Permalink - Posted in Uncategorized on February 8, 2010 - Post a comment

Wicked’s Tending to the Blind & Deaf

There is a lot more to Wicked when you can’t hear what they are saying. Recently the Thursday matinee performance of the show saw Karen Kanter and Tina Riner to the right of the stage, translating every character’s dialogue for the group of students hailing from Blossom Montessori School for the Deaf. The interpreters are part of the Open Door program which helps give those with disabilities greater access to performances at the Davd A. Straz Jr. Center for the Performing Arts.  ”We try to stay ahead of the curve on ADA (Americans With Disabilities Act) issues,” says Donna McBride, the center’s director of foundation grants.

“I think it’s great that the center is providing this opportunity for our children to enjoy the show,” says Richard S. Engwall, Blossom’s president, who accompanied the students to Thursday’s performance. The show recently received a $10,000 donation from the Association of Arts Presenters and MetLife for Open Doors. The students thoroughly enjoyed the feature which several of them had worked on for several months, staging the sequel to the story, the better known The Wizard of Oz. “There are still many improvements,” said Engwall, as they need to tend to the blind as well.

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Permalink - Posted in Uncategorized on February 5, 2010 - Post a comment

Broadway Rocks Brings Wicked Back

The Broadway Rocks Show is sure to impress everyone when it comes to town this weekend at the Syracuse, New York Civic Center’s Crouse Hinds Theater. Though fans are going to be upset, surely, that their beloved Broadway show “Wicked” is leaving after its three week run, the show and its music won’t really be going anywhere. The feature “Bravo Broadway Rocks’” is presented by the Syracuse Symphony Orchestra and will have a twin showcase on Friday and Saturday at 8pm. As part of the show developing Broadway pieces, one of the numbers will contain tunes from the third time Syracuse guest - “Wicked.” Along with the story written by Gregory Maguire and originally performed by Idina Menzel and Kristen Chenoweth will be numbers from “Phantom of the Opera,” “Rent,” “Jekyll and Hyde” and “Jesus Christ Superstar.” In addition, Broadway superstars taking part in the event will include Capathia Jenkins of “The Civil War,” Rob Evan from the original cast of “Jekyll and Hyde” and Doug LaBrecque along with Annee Runolfsson of “Phantom of the Opera” fame. The Syracuse Symphony Pop Chorus will accompany the tunes sung by these stars.

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Permalink - Posted in Uncategorized on February 4, 2010 - Post a comment

Wicked’s History Lies in Syracuse

“Elphaba, where I’m from, we believe all sorts of things that aren’t true. We call it ‘history.’”

The quote from the story ties well into Wicked’s current city, Syracuse, as author of “The Wonderful Wizard of Oz,” L. Frank Baum, was connected to the New York city in which the main character, Elphaba gets her name (author of Wicked turned L. Frank Baum’s letters around). The actual inspiration for the witches came from Baum’s mother in law, feminist leader and author Matilda Joslyn Gage. Baum was a resident of Syracuse from 1861 to 1888 and spent the winters with Gage after her husband died. Historians Sally Roesch Wagner traced the influences Gage had on Baum. “Gage was, in many ways, the intellectual mentor of her son-in-law,” said Wagner to Syracuse’ blog. “While the family read and discussed spiritual, philosophical and cultural information and ideas, Frank was storing up images and issues that would later inform his writing.” Gage penned the book ‘Woman, Church and State,” with the chapter witchcraft noting that all witches were bad - When Dorothy drops in to Oz, she says, “But I though all witches were wicked.” Glinda explains, ‘Oh, no; that is a great mistake.” That idea during the 19th Century was a revolution, but today is common thanks to Baum’s Oz.

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Permalink - Posted in Uncategorized on February 3, 2010 - Post a comment

Wicked’s Lottery in Tampa

Tampa, Florida residents are seeing witches, flying brooms and pointed hats - as the Broadway hit “Wicked” is performing at the Tampa Straz Center for the Performing Arts. What makes this show even more special is that this show is only selling for $25, as it runs from February 3rd to 28th. The lottery tickets, as always with Wicked, are selling for the limited price but only if interested patrons get there two and a half hours early at the show’s box office, enter their name into the drawing hat, and if pulled have cash ready. The biggest factor is that only two tickets can be won at a time, so while fans might have three best friends, only two are going to get into the orchestra seating. The lottery has been happening since this popular Broadway show first opened. The in-person drawing happens for every show and must be purchased with case and with a photo ID.

Didn’t win the drawing, no sweat, you can get a great deal on Wicked tickets from StubHub today and be guaranteed a seat to the show!

Permalink - Posted in Uncategorized on February 2, 2010 - Post a comment

Wicked Finishes Up in Syracuse

The Civic Center’s Crouse Hinds Theater production of Wicked closed yesterday after performing there since January 13th. The national tour will move on after performing at the Montgomery Street theater in Syracuse, following a feature of a “monster size dragon with the wingspan of a Cessna 172 plane zipping around the stage,” reported a Syracuse paper.

The show is well known, having performed for several years around the world. The show has music and lyrics by Stephen Schwartz and a book by Winnie Holzman. The show is directed by Tony Award winner Joe Mantello with musical staging by Tony Award winner Wayne Cilento. The story is based on the 1995 novel by Gregory Maguire, a show that has earned 26 awards including a Grammy, three Tony Awards and more. The show tells the story of the witches from Oz before Dorothy drops in - the Wicked Witch of the West is a shy, enthusiastic and smart girl who just happens to be green while Glinda the Good Witch is still just as whimsical but cocky and very naive.

If you want to see how these characters act together, get Wicked tickets today only from StubHub.

Permalink - Posted in Uncategorized on February 1, 2010 - Post a comment

Wizard of Oz Exhibition on a Running Start

Beginning tomorrow, the Miami Children’s Museum is taking on new heights - heading somewhere over the rainbow - for the Wizard of Oz Children’s Educational Exhibition. The show was created in conjunction with Warner Bros. as part of the first traveling exhibition show for the story that many children know, the Wizard of Oz. The educational display will hit cities that include Boston, New York, Minneapolis and Pittsburgh. The show has been nearly two years in the making and felt the interactive children’s journey via life size replicas of film characters would be made more perfect following the 70th anniversary of the film, which came in 2009. Children who enjoy the exhibit can be taken off in a tornado, join the Lollipop Guild in Munchkinland, walk through the Yellow Brick Road and more. “We’ve always thought about what is captivating to families and what can we create that has meaning and substance,” says Deborah Spiegelman, CEO and executive director of the museum. “Kids come here to play, learn, imagine and create, and we don’t create things that don’t have an educational value and substance. The Wizard of Oz has so many incredible lessons and character values tied in, and it was perfect, because we really believe in developing the child. So it was a win-win for everybody.”

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Permalink - Posted in Uncategorized on January 29, 2010 - Post a comment

Wicked’s New Leading Man

Lee Mead is set to return to the West End for a roll as Fiyero in London’s Wicked performance. Mead, who is a veteran of the West End with a performance in Joseph and The Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat is set to join the Gregory Maguire story in May. The date he would have returned to the set would have been much earlier had it not been for his wife’s due date - Denise Van Outen is set to give birth to their first child.

Mead has toured the UK with Oscar Wilde’s Lord Arthur Saville’s Crime and will return to London for what he calls “a fantastic part.” “I’m really excited to be returning to the West End in this incredible show.” The show will see Mead May 10th. Executive Producer of the show added this:  ”With a wealth of musical theatre experience already under his belt, Lee was, from the outset, the one to watch in the BBC’s Any Dream Will Do. His much deserved win and subsequent performance in Joseph proved that he was an outstandingly talented leading man. I am really delighted that he has now chosen to make his return to the West End as Fiyero in Wicked alongside a fantastic new cast that will take us into our fifth year.”

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Permalink - Posted in Uncategorized on January 28, 2010 - Post a comment

‘Wicked’ Additions to the Oz Museum

The Broadway show Wicked has earned attention from all over the world - gaining fans from young children who can’t get enough of the story prequel to “The Wizard of Oz,” to teens who love the lyrics and the dramatic twist as well as adults who seem to understand much more.

Recently props from the musical Wicked made itself even more popluar when some of the boots from the Broadway play made it to the Oz Museum; according to KTKA and the museum director revealed that after contacting the Tony Award winning play based in New York and currently traveling all over the world, producers sent over a box full of priced possessions. ”I think a lot of people don’t know that we do go through the exhibits and we change items out, change things around, bring out new stuff,” Oz Museum Director of Wicked. “We’re constantly adding things in and so that makes the exhibits change. That gives you something different to see each time you come back.” This summer the Oz Museum at Wamego also got some pieces from Warren Buffet’s daughters Oz collection.

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Permalink - Posted in Uncategorized on January 27, 2010 - Post a comment

Wicked Returns to Broadway Chicago

Chicago’s Broadway showcase is seeing a return of Wicked next winter with the premiere Wednesday, December 1, 2010. The show will reunite with stage hands and staff at the Cadillac Palace Theater for eight weeks (through January 23, 20100 while tickets go on sale for the Broadway in Chicago Subscription Series holders in February before individual tickets go on sale at a later date. “We are thrilled to host the return of Wicked. The requests from our patrons for this show to come back to Chicago have been overwhelming,” Lou Raizin, President of Broadway in Chicago, said.

“We are absolutely thrilled to return to Chicago and play WICKED at the Cadillac Palace Theatre. For nearly four years, the Oriental Theatre was our home, but it is about much more than a building. It is really the City of Chicago and its audiences that are WICKED’s home. And, of course, there’s no place like home,” said Producer David Stone to Broadway World. The show was written for the stage by Winnie Holzman, who adopted the story from the novel by Gregory Maguire and played off the music and lyrics of Stephen Schwartz.

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Permalink - Posted in Uncategorized on January 26, 2010 - Post a comment


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