There’s not much we probably need to tell you about The Wizard of Oz.
Perhaps the most beloved film in American history, based on L. Frank Baum’s equally beloved book, was turned into a stage show in 1942. Just three years after the movie was released.
The Skylight Music Theatreopens its first-ever production of The Wizard of Oz, based on a more recent adaptation of the 1942 play.
Viswa Subbaraman is artistic director at Skylight and conductor for this production, and Linda Brovsky directs the show. Subbaraman and Brovsky speak with Lake Effect's Bonnie North about why the time was right for Skylight to mount the production and how they wanted it to be different from the classic stage productions seen in the past.
"At the Skylight, we have decided to start looking at our seasons as a conversation about something that has to do with our shared humanity," Suabbaraman. says. "Last season we did revolution and this season we thought it would be interesting to explore fairytales...We wanted a holiday show that everyone could bring their family to, that was fun, that was light and uplifting."
"I read the script and thought 'this is absolutely charming,'" Brovsky says. "It's very close to the film in terms of the dialogue and the music. And the more we got into it, the more I realized what a gem this piece is musically as well as dramatically."
