OzWiki:Current events

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Now playing: Wicked. This is it, the biggest thing to hit Oz in years: the award-winning musical based on Gregory Maguire's novel Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West. The book is by Winnie Holzman, the music by Stephen Schwartz, and the show is directed by Joe Mantello. It has done so well, it has spawned the following sit-down companies:

Wicked is also touring North America. For more information and updates about the tour, see wickedthemusical.com/#WickedCitiesOnTour or musicalschwartz.com/wicked-tour.htm. Here's the current schedule (locations and dates are subject to change):

And for the first time, new productions, not based on the Broadway original, have been authorized. So far announced:

Now playing: High Drama: Against All Oz, thewb.com. The late television network is reborn as an online broadcaster. Besides many old Warner Bros. shows, they also have a reality series, a behind-the-scenes look at a high school's production of The Wizard of Oz. To see the trailer and watch episodes from the first two season, go to thewb.com/shows/high-drama.

Now open: The Wizard of Oz exhibit, The Health Adventure, Asheville, North Carolina. The traveling children's museum exhibit has made its way to western North Carolina. Based on the original novel by L. Frank Baum and illustrated by W. W. Denslow, visitors step into the book and follow the yellow brick road through interactive exhibits. For more information, see The Health Adventures' website at thehealthadventure.org.

Now open: The Wizard of Oz exhibit, Madame Tussaud's Wax Museum, New York City, New York. The world's most famous name in wax now has an Oz exhibit at its Times Square location, including a wax replica of Judy Garland as Dorothy. Plus, later this summer, The Wizard of Oz will become part of their 4-D theater. For more information, see the website at madametussauds.com/NewYork.

Now through September 5, 2010: "Icons of Costume: Hollywood's Golden Era and Beyond" museum exhibit, James A. Michener Art Museum, Doylestown, Pennsylvania. This is an exhibit of Oscar-nominated movie costumes, from the 1940s to the 1990s. As part of the exhibit on Saturdays and Sundays, visitors can appear in scenes from some of their favorute movies, including The Wizard of Oz. (You can even see some of the results on the museum's YouTube channel.) The screen tests cost extra, beyond museum admission. For information, see michenermuseum.org/exhibits/costume.php.

Now through September 12, 2010: The Wizard of Oz exhibit, Minnesota Children's Museum, St. Paul, Minnesota. Children (and adults) can learn about science while they travel over the rainbow to Oz. This version is based on the famous movie version. For more information, see mcm.org.

July 2-3, 2010: The Wizard of Oz, national cablecast, Turner Classic Movies. The famous MGM movie version of The Wizard of Oz. Scheduled to be shown 8:00 p.m. EST on July 2 (preceded by the documentary The Wonderful Wizard of Oz: 50 Years of Movie Magic at 7:00 p.m., with another documentary, Memories of Oz, following at 10:00 p.m.) and 6:00 p.m. EST on July 3. Check local listings for availability and showtime in your area. For more information, check out the TCM website at www.tcm.com. The movie has its own dedicated page at www.tcm.com/tcmdb/title.jsp?stid=852&category=overview, and the documentaries have sites, too, at www.tcm.com/tcmdb/title.jsp?stid=5729&category=overview for The Wonderful Wizard of Oz: 50 Years of Movie Magic, and tcm.com/tcmdb/title.jsp?stid=343835 for Memories of Oz. The evening of July 2 is also TCM's salute to Terry, the cairn terrier who played Toto, so they're showing two more films she appeared in, Fury at 10:30 p.m. and George Washington Slept Here at 12:15 a.m. the next morning.

July 2-18, 2010: Left of Oz, The Ashby Stage, Berkeley, California. We're not in Kansas any more, as this play is an all-lesbian version of The Wizard of Oz, with Dorothy looking for love in San Francisco. This is billed as a "lez-queer musical comedy". If this is not your idea of Oz or theater, you have been warned! Performances are Fridays and Saturdays at 8:00 p.m., and Sundays at 7:00 p.m. Tickets are $25 for general admission and $50 for VIP seating in the front row, which include a cast party and CD. Tickets are available at Brown Paper Tickets. For more information, see the show's website at leftofoz.com.

July 10, 2010: The Wizard of Oz, Canton Palace Theatre, Canton, Ohio. This is not a stage adaptation of the famous movie version. This is the original stage presentation, first appearing on Broadway in 1903. Presented by the Canton Comic Opera Company. Tickets are $20 for adults, and $10 for children and students. For more details, see the company's website at cantoncomicoperaco.com. There will also be a free lecture and concert the night before, July 9, at the Cable Recital Hall of the Cultural Center for the Arts, beginning at 8:00 p.m. This presentation will include songs that had been performed in the show at some point, but were cut or changed to other songs. You can watch a preview video on YouTube.

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