The Wizard of Oz (R.S.C. 1987)
By L. Frank Baum With Music and Lyrics by Harold Arlen With Music and Lyrics by E.Y. Harburg Adapted for the Royal Shakespeare Company by John Kane.
Like so many girls her age, little Dorothy Gale of Kansas dreams of what lies over the rainbow. One day a twister hits her farm and carries her away over the rainbow to another world. Come join Dorothy, the Scarecrow, the Tinman, the Cowardly Lion and Toto as they travel the universe of Dorothy’s imagination.
The RSC version is a more technically complex production and uses as much of the aura of the film as is possible to create in a modern theatre. It is an adaptation for live stage performance, even while it strives to look and sound like the famous film, in telling the story.
