Oz on Stage and in Film

Those who are fans of Wicked, may not know that there is a rich history of stage and film that stands behind the land of Oz; which is much more extensive than just the musical that starred Judy Garland. Following the publication of the book in 1900, for which L. Frank Baum was given an astounding (in that day) $3,432.64 advance on royalties, the Wizard arrived on Broadway in 1903. From its first arrival on the stage it becomes the biggest hit of the season.

In  1914 another story from Oz, The Patchwork Girl, was made into a silent film. The Magic Cloak of Oz and His Majesty, the Scarcrow of Oz are both released later that year. Sadly, L. Frank Baum died in 1919 at the age of 63. But his publisher did not want to see the legacy of Oz come to an end, and commisioned Ruth Plumly Thomson to continue the series that already consisted of more than a dozen books.

Judy Garland stared in Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer’s The Wizard of Oz in 1939, and the film received several Academy Award nominations. IN 1975 The Wiz opened on Broadway, it was a rock musical version of the first book of Oz, with and all-black cast. It was such a big hit that in 1978 it was made into a film staring Diana Ross and Michael Jackson.  Return to Oz was released in 1985, it is the story of Dorothy following her return to Kansas from Oz. The movie starred Fairuza Balk as Dorothy.

Of course, the most recent developement in the appearence of Oz before the public eye,  is the hit Broadway musical, Wicked, based on the novel by Gregory Maguire who has written several other additions to the story of Oz. Wicked is definitely the most exciting and sensational part of the story so far. The musical has now been playing for five years on stages all over the world, and there are rumors of it being made into a movie as well. Get your tickets to see the newest step in the story of Oz unfold before your eyes today! Tickets are available at Stubhub.com for venues all around the US.

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