Andrew Lloyd Webber Turns to Reality TV to Find the Cast for The Wizard of Oz

aaaaIf you know anything at all about Andrew Lloyd Webber, then you likely understand that although he is a master producer and highly regarded in the theatre world, he rarely goes about anything in a conventional manner. And now the hugely successful producer is once again making theatre history by creating reality shows in order to choose the lead role in his latest production of The Wizard of Oz.

Grab Your Tickets to See The Wizard of Oz on Stage Right Here!

How Webber is Finding Stars to Play Dorothy

In his search for undiscovered new talent, Webber first collaborated with the BBC in a British television talent series called Over the Rainbow in order to find an unknown musical talent to play Dorothy in his new stage production of The Wizard of Oz. Webber also searched for a dog to play in the role of Toto in the series. Danielle Hope was chosen for the London production, and then Webber set his sights on the North American run of the show, and teamed up with Canadian’s CBC to create another Over the Rainbow series in search of talent for that part of the tour. The end result is that Danielle Wade was chosen for the role of Dorothy, who will also star in the US part of the tour. This isn’t the first time Webber has collaborated with the BBC to find undiscovered musical talent for one of his productions. He also used the unorthodox method for finding talent for I’d Do Anything, Any Dream Will Do, and How Do You Solve a Problem Like Maria?

Finally, A Wizard of Oz Worthy of the Stage

In the past, productions of The Wizard of Oz have fallen flat with audiences. Most critics agree that Andrew Lloyd Webber is a master at musical theatre and taking on the challenge of “The Wizard of Oz” has certainly provided a challenge. In the past, the Wizard hasn’t been well received for the stage because of the many different acts and scenes, the theatre usually doesn’t lend itself to a true adaptation of the original 1900 book by L. Frank Baum.  Andrew Lloyd Webber hopes to change that, by adding some songs where they should have been and splitting the scenes where the tension is higher has seemed to bring to life the book. In the past, producers have simply translated the movie into a stage production and the result is less than stellar.  Off shoots such as “Wicked” are far more appealing, but carry little of the actual story from The Wizard.  Webber has changed all that by actually dissecting the film and adding more songs. The Wizard of Oz was very well received in London, where it premiered, which is making U.S. audiences that much more anxious to see this latest adaptation.

“The Wizard of Oz” is one of the most adapted stories ever written.  It has been adapted by TV, film and stage no less than 100 times. And according to sources, Andrew Lloyd Webber can’t wait to bring the show to the US. And it won’t be performed only in New York, either. Webber has been quoted as saying that the production doesn’t have to begin in New York because the American people are so familiar with the story, it can open anywhere and be successful.

How to Get Tickets to See the Show

The show opens May 31 in San Antonio, Texas and runs until June 26, where its last show will be performed in Atlanta, Georgia, and as you can imagine, dates will sell out quickly. Anytime there is a production that is so widely known and loved by fans, we can anticipate that the tickets to see The Wizard of Oz won’t last too long.

At TheatreTicketBank, we offer first rate seats to The Wizard of Oz, and all other theater events so you can have one reliable source to find all of your tickets from. What’s more, we make it our mission to keep you up to date about everything that is going on in the theatre world.  We do that maintaining a blog that informs you about the latest shows and events, and anything you need to know to stay current on theatre happenings. We also keep our fans updated on our social media channels. For instance, you can like us on Facebook, follow us on Twitter, and join us on our Google+ account.

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