The Wizard of Oz has always pushed the boat out when it comes to spectacle. As author L. Frank Baum collaborated closely with illustrator W.W. Denslow, fantastic images were integral to Oz’s formation. Across its numerous adaptations, music has proven to be another core element, since the musical seems to be a favourite form for reimaginings. To be fair, if a story is absurd enough to include living scarecrows and flying monkeys, why not sing too? 

For this year’s park show, we’re continuing this legacy and bringing our own Lancastrian sparkle to Oz, complete with some new tunes and a few twists! After all, Oz is all about reinvention.

Before Judy Garland’s iconic film, the story already had a long history on the page and the stage. Baum started it all with The Wonderful Wizard of Oz (1900), the first of the ‘Famous Forty’ series. In the extended universe, Dorothy - perpetually unlucky with weather - ends up back in Oz a few more times. And since many of the plots involve someone trying to take the throne, it turns out basically everyone has run Oz at some point (including the Scarecrow). 

Illustration by W.W. Denslow from the 1900 book: Dorothy, the Tin Woodsman and Toto are carried off by Flying Monkeys.

The book was so successful that a 1902 Broadway musical quickly followed. The plot featured a few big differences: Toto is replaced by a calf named Imogene, Dorothy has a love interest called Sir Dashemoff, and of course, a streetcar conductor from Kansas tries to take the throne. The famous 1939 film stuck closer to Baum’s original story. This was also when the silver slippers turned ruby and the Wicked Witch turned green, to showcase the brand new Technicolor technology. 

Plenty more reinventions followed. The Wiz (1974) sets the story in the context of African-American culture and features a score of soul music. The creepy Return to Oz (1985) introduces characters like Jack Pumpkinhead (from Baum’s second book The Marvelous Land of Oz). The musical Wicked, inspired by Gregory Maguire’s book series, takes place in a darker - swankified, even - version of Oz. The film adaptation, with its extended story and two brand new songs (coming in Part 2!), has brought about another Ozian renaissance. 

So what better time to stage our own reinvention? The Dukes first brought Dorothy and Toto to the park in 1992, along with a sizable army of munchkins. 33 years later, we’re welcoming them back and bringing some local colour to the story, relocating from Kansas to Lancaster. ‘There’s no place like home’, and we’re taking that to heart!

The Wizard of Oz, 1992

The immersive promenade experience will allow the audience to follow Dorothy’s adventure in real time - and with the story’s history of live spectacle and reinvention, it seems a fittingly wonderful idea! Don’t worry, poppies aren’t native to Williamson Park, but do prepare for all weather eventualities (flying houses, etc.). Oz can be unpredictable! 

Written by Jodie Passey