THE WIZARD OF OZ by L. Frank Baum adapted by Frank Gabrielson With music and lyrics from the MGM motion picture score by Harold Arlen and E.Y. Harburg Music by Harold Arlen; Andrew Lloyd Webber (additional); Herbert Stothart (incidental) The first stage version of The Wizard of Oz was presented on 21 January, 1903 at the Majestic Theatre Broadway where it ran for some 293 performances. The Music at that time was composed by A Baldwin Sloane & Paul Tietjens with lyrics and Book by L. Frank Baum SYNOPSIS Little Dorothy Gale of Kansas, like so many girls her age, often dreams of what may lie over the rainbow. One day a tornado hits her home town and carries her away to Munchkinland - at the end of the rainbow. The Munchkins fete Dorothy as a heroine. Dorothy wants to go home to Kansas and seeks the help of the kind Sorceress of the North. Only the great Wizard of Oz, says the Sorceress, can help Dorothy get back to Kansas. Dorothy persuades three friends to accompany her on the trip to the Emerald City to see the Wizard. They are Scarecrow, who lacks a brain, he thinks; the Tin Woodman, who has no heart, and the Cowardly Lion, who would like to have some courage. The Wicked Witch of the West vows vengeance on Dorothy and does all she can to stop the friends getting to the Emerald City. But they do reach it, and manage to see the Wizard. He will only help them, he says, if they kill the Wicked Witch of the West, an apparently impossible task. They do succeed, they get all their wishes and the Wizard accompanies Dorothy to Kansas in a rocket ship. The Well-known score includes some of the best loved songs in the American musical pantheon. STORY Act I Orphaned teenager Dorothy Gale lives on a farm in Kansas with her Aunt Em, Uncle Henry and dog Toto, but feels misunderstood (“Nobody Understands Me”). The unpleasant Miss Gulch threatens to call the sheriff after Toto bites her leg. Dorothy wants to escape to a nicer place, somewhere (“Over the Rainbow”). She runs away from the farm and meets Professor Marvel, who tells her all about (“The Wonders of the World”). They are interrupted by a twister, and Dorothy runs home for shelter. Inside the farmhouse, she bangs her head on the bedside. The house is blown away by the storm. Landing in Oz, Dorothy’s house flattens the Wicked Witch of the East. Glinda, the Good Witch of the North, greets Dorothy and tells her where she is. Glinda calls for the Munchkins to (“Come Out”). These little people, overjoyed at the demise of their wicked tormentor, welcome Dorothy and Toto (“Ding Dong the Witch is Dead”; “We Welcome You to Munchkin Land”). Glinda presents Dorothy with the magic ruby slippers that belonged to the dead witch. This enrages the witch’s sister, the Wicked Witch of the West. Glinda tells Dorothy that the Wizard of Oz might be able to help her return home, and how to find him (“Follow the Yellow Brick Road”). Dorothy sets off toward the Emerald City to speak to the great Oz (“You’re Off to See
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy ODU3MzQ=