Michael Crawford To Continue As The Wonderful Wizard Of Oz!

MICHAEL CRAWFORD is to continue in his starring role of The Wizard in ANDREW LLOYD WEBBER’s new production of THE WIZARD OF OZ.

Michael has been thrilling audiences since the show opened at the LONDON PALLADIUM on 1 March 2011 and now he will star in the iconic role until Sunday 5 February 2012.

In addition to the eponymous role, Michael also plays the characters of The Wizard in disguise as both the doorman and the tour guide in the Emerald City, as well as Professor Marvel, for whom a new song has been specially written, The Wonders of the World. This is one of several brand new songs by ANDREW LLOYD WEBBER and TIM RICE, which also include Red Shoes Blues, a solo for The Wicked Witch of the West and Dorothy’s opening number Nobody Understands Me.

THE WIZARD OF OZ combines these new musical numbers, which mark the first time Andrew and Tim have worked together in over 30 years on a new production, with all the much-loved songs from the Oscar-winning movie score.

MICHAEL CRAWFORD is internationally renowned for originating the title role in The Phantom of the Opera and loved by millions for his role as the hapless Frank Spencer in the classic British sitcom, Some Mothers Do ‘Ave ‘Em. His hugely successful career spans four decades, and includes his triumphant performance in the hit show Barnum at the London Palladium. He is a multi Olivier and Tony-award winning star whose acclaim encompasses theatre, television and film and he was appointed an OBE in 1988.

Michael stars alongside DANIELLE HOPE, the winner of the BBC smash hit talent show Over The Rainbow, who is Dorothy, EDWARD BAKER-DULY (Tin Man), DAVID GANLY (Lion), PAUL KEATING (Scarecrow), EMILY TIERNEY (Glinda) and HANNAH WADDINGHAM (as The Wicked Witch of the West).

The Wizard of Oz by L Frank Baum is directed by Jeremy Sams, choreographed by Arlene Phillips, music and lyrics by Harold Arlen and E Y Harburg, with additional music and lyrics by Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice, set and costumes designs by Robert Jones, and produced by Bill Kenwright and the Really Useful Group.

Release issued by: Target Live

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The Wizard of Oz – Reviews Round-up

A round-up of reviews of The Wizard of Oz at the London Palladium

Finally it’s here! The build-up to Andrew Lloyd Webber’s new production of The Wizard of Oz has been nothing but intense, from the BBC talent show Over The Rainbow to find a new Dorothy to star in the musical, to the return of Michael Crawford to the stage, to Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice reuniting at last to provide four new musical numbers.

And the reaction from the critics is good, which must come as a relief to Lord Lloyd Webber, who has had a rough 12 months with a series of headaches over the launch of his new Phantom sequel Love Never Dies, his failed attempt to sell some of his theatres, and his personal battle with cancer. He deserved to have a hit, and with Love Never Dies taking 7 Olivier Award nominations last month, and a positive reaction from the critics about The Wizard of Oz, things are looking up!

Danielle Hope, who makes her West End stage debut as Dorothy, gives it her all and impresses the critics with a fine performance. And the new songs go down well, adding to the original score of the stage show and movie. But the real critical superlatives are reserved for Robert Jones and his lavish costumes and set, and Hannah Waddingham, who wows the critics with her performance as the Wicked Witch of the West.

See review round-ups below from the Guardian, Times, Telegraph, Evening Standard and Independent.

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The Wizard of Oz – News and features

New this week: Oz, Blithe Spirit, Flare Path

Some big-hitting West End shows open this week in London, including The Wizard of Oz, Million Dollar Quartet, Flare Path and Blithe Spirit.

Monday 28 February 2011

Million Dollar Quartet, the musical that recreates the historic day when Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash, Carl Perkins and Jerry Lee Lewis all made music together, opens tonight at the Noel Coward Theatre starring a multi-talented cast including Bill Ward (Coronation Street).

Tuesday 1 March 2011

It’s the premiere tonight of the musical that has received more publicity, hype and good old-fashioned audience anticipation than any other show for years as Andrew Lloyd Webber’s sparkly new production of The Wizard of Oz opens at the London Palladium. Rebooted by Jeremy Sams and produced by Andrew Lloyd Webber and Bill Kenwright, the show sees Over The Rainbow star Danielle Hope make her West End stage debut joined by Michael Crawford as the Wizard and Hannah Waddingham as the Wicked Witch.

Also today, tickets go on sale for the Olivier Awards at the Theatre Royal Drury Lane. The 13th March ceremony is open to theatregoers for the first time and promises a starry night of West End celebs and excerpts from the shows.

Wednesday 2 March 2011

Noel Coward’s blissful comedy Blithe Spirit starts previews at the Apollo Theatre featuring an all-star cast including Alison Steadman (Gavin & Stacey), Ruthie Henshall (Chicago), Hermione Norris (Spooks) and Robert Bathurst (Hattie). The revival is directed by the award-winning Thea Sharrock (After the Dance).

Thursday 3 March 2011

Previews starts for Hurly Burly at the Garrick Theatre, featuring the luscious Miss Polly Rae in an all singing, all dancing burlesque-inspired revue with a contemporary twist.

Also tonight, In A Forest, Dark and Deep starts previews at the Vaudeville Theatre with Lost star Matthew Fox and Olivia Williams (The Ghost Writer) in Neil LaBute’s new psychological thriller.

Friday 4 March 2011

Trevor Nunn begins his artistic directorship of the Theatre Royal Haymarket tonight with the start of previews for Flare Path. Terence Rattigan’s Second World War romance sees Sienna Miller, James Purefoy and Sheridan Smith star.

Saturday 5 March 2011

Kneehigh theare company, who scored a huge hit in London and on Broadway with their stage take on Noel Coward’s Brief Encounter, are back with a brand new production. The Umbrellas of Cherbourg, based on the classic French film, begins previews at the Gielgud Theatre tonight starring Joanna Riding, Meow Meow and Andrew Durand.

Also on Saturday, A Flea in Her Ear closes at the Old Vic Theatre starring Tom Hollander and Ordinary Days starring Daniel Boys ends at the Trafalgar Studios.

HANNAH WADDINGHAM in The Wizard of Oz

Hannah Waddingham to play the Wicked Witch of the West in The Wizard of Oz at the London Palladium.

West End star Hannah Waddingham is not through with playing evil witches.

After wowing audiences in Regent’s Park this summer playing the Witch in Stephen Sondheim’s Into the Woods at the Open Air Theatre, she will return to fairytale nastiness this winter playing the Wicked Witch of the West in Andrew Lloyd Webber’s blockbuster new production of The Wizard of Oz, which opens at the London Palladium this February.

Hannah has enjoyed a successful stage career, including Olivier Award nominations for the Lady of the Lake in Spamalot and Desiree Armfelt in Trevor Nunn’s production of A Little Night Music at the Menier Chocolate Factory and the Garrick Theatre.

Her other roles include Suzanne Valadon in Lautrec at the Shaftesbury Theatre, Christine Warner in Andrew Lloyd Webber’s The Beautiful Game at the Cambridge Theatre) Satan in Rod Stewart’s Tonight’s The Night, Bad Girls The Musical at the West Yorkshire Playhouse, A Chorus of Disapproval for Theatr Clywd and Rizzo in Grease at the Victoria Palace Theatre.

The Wizard of Oz previews from 7 February 2011 at the London Palladium starring Over the Rainbow winner Danielle Hope as Dorothy, Michael Crawford as the Wizard, Paul Keating as Scarecrow, Edward Baker-Duly as  Tin Man, David Ganly as the Cowardly Lion and Emily Tierney as Glinda, The Good Witch.

Book tickets to The Wizard of Oz at the London Palladium

PAUL KEATING in The Wizard of Oz

Andrew Lloyd Webber casts Paul Keating as Scarecrow in The Wizard of Oz.

Paul has been twice nominated for Olivier Awards – and we think this next project could be the one.

The multi-talented actor has been cast as the Scarecrow in Lord Lloyd Webber’s great big revival of musicals classic The Wizard of Oz – to open at the London Palladium in February.

Paul’s impressive list of stage credits includes the lead role in Tommy at the Shaftesbury Theatre, Tick… Tick… BOOM! at the Duchess Theatre, Seymour in Little Shop of Horrors with Sheridan Smith at Menier Chocolate Factory and in the West End, the Pet Shop Boys musical Closer to Heaven, the Balladeer in Assassins, La Cava at the Piccadilly Theatre and Victoria Palace, the Full Monty at the Prince of Wales Theatre, Prince of Palma in Don Carlos directed by Michael Grandage, Buttons in Cinderella at the Old Vic Theatre and Blowing Whistles at the Leicester Square Theatre.

On-screen appearances include Metrosexuality and Bring Me The Head Of Mavis Davis.

The Wizard of Oz previews from 7 February 2011 at the London Palladium starring Over the Rainbow winner Danielle Hope as Dorothy, Michael Crawford as the Wizard, Paul Keating as Scarecrow, Edward Baker-Duly as  Tin Man, David Ganly as the Cowardly Lion and Emily Tierney as Glinda, The Good Witch.

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The Wizard of Oz: Further casting

Andrew Lloyd Webber announces further casting for The Wizard of Oz

Lauren Samuels in Grease TONIGHT

Over The Rainbow finalist Lauren Samuels starts run in Grease

Good luck to Lauren Samuels tonight, who starts her run as Sandy in Grease at the Piccadilly Theatre in London.

Lauren came third in Andrew Lloyd-Webber’s recent BBC One talent search Over The Rainbow to find a Dorothy for his new production of The Wizard of Oz – starting next year at the London Palladium.

She makes her West End debut in Grease tonight, 26 July, alongside Noel Sullivan as Danny and Siubhan Harrison as Rizzo.

A number of Lauren’s fellow Over The Rainbow Dorothys are expected to attend the show.

Grease is now in its third year in the West End and has been seen by over 1 million people. The show is now booking to September 2011.

Lauren takes over from Siobhan Dillon, who was also discovered through an Andrew Lloyd Webber TV talent searched – How Do You Solve a Problem Like Maria?

Other cast in the show include Matthew Goodgame, Lucas Rush, Hayley Gallivan, Benjamin Ibbott, Faye Brookes, Bennett Andrews, Robyn Mellor, Michael Vinsen, Susannah Allman, Kerry Winter, Stephanie Powell and Jason Capewell.

SPECIAL OFFER: Save £21 on tickets to Grease at the Piccadilly Theatre in London

Over the Rainbow’s Sophie Evans off to Oz

Who says that it’s all about winning?

Over The Rainbow runner-up Sophie Evans is set to make her West End debut next year playing Dorothy in Andrew Lloyd Webber’s multi-million pound new production of The Wizard of Oz at the London Palladium.

Sophie, 17 and from Tonypandy in Wales, will take over from Over The Rainbow winner Danielle Hope every Tuesday evening and the week of 2 May and the 5 to 17 September, when Ms Hope will be on holiday.

Lord Lloyd-Webber and producer Bill Kenwright made the announcement yesterday at the Wales Millennium Centre in Cardiff Bay. Lloyd Webber’s controversial decision comes in an attempt to learn lessons from his previous TV casting experiences. “People do get sick,” he said, referring to Connie Fisher, star of his 2006 production of The Sound of Music, who was also cast from a BBC One TV show. “[She] had very bad flu and sang through it which she shouldn’t have done, so she was off for a couple of weeks. We didn’t want a repetition of that. We have a responsibility to the girls as well as the audiences”.

Already a number of the other Over The Rainbow finalists have secured parts in shows, including Lauren Samuels, who makes her West End debut next week playing Sandy in Grease at the Piccadilly Theatre, and Steph Fearon, who is currently appearing in Smokey Joe’s Café at the Landor Theatre.

Loyd Webber and Tim Rice to reunite

In an interview with the Daily Mail this week, Lord Lloyd Webber also revealed that he will be reuniting with Tim Rice after 34 years to pen a number of new songs for The Wizard of Oz. Rice and Lloyd Webber are arguably the world’s most successful living composer-lyricists with shows including Evita, Jesus Christ Superstar and Joseph. Lloyd Webber told the paper: “The fact is that The Wizard Of Oz has never really worked in the theatre. The film has one or two holes where in the theatre you need a song. For example, there’s nothing for either of the two witches to sing.”

The Wizard of Oz will follow the success of Wicked at the Apollo Victoria in London, which has broken all box-office records and tells the story of the witches from The Wizard of Oz.

Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Really Useful Group will produce the show, with performances starting from 7 February 2011 at the London Palladium. The creative team behind the 2006 revival of The Sound of Music, including director Jeremy Sams, designer Robert Jones and choreographer Arlene Phillips, will work on the show.

The first stage version of L Frank Baum’s classic book was in 1902 starring Anna Laughlin. The 1939 MGM film starring Judy Garland is the most famous version of the show, and was adapted into a stage musical in 1945 by Frank Gabrielson for the St. Louis Municipal Opera.

Book tickets to The Wizard of Oz at the London Palladium

Lauren Samuels to star in Grease

Over The Rainbow finalist Lauren Samuels to play Sandy in Grease

A new leading lady will join the cast of long-running musical Grease at the Piccadilly Theatre from 26 July, as rising young star Lauren Samuels takes the role of Sandy.

Lauren came third in Andrew Lloyd-Webber’s recent BBC One talent search Over The Rainbow to find a Dorothy for his new production of The Wizard of Oz – starting next year at the London Palladium.

She will make her West End debut in the show alongside Noel Sullivan as Danny and Siubhan Harrison as Rizzo.

Lauren trained at the Guildford School of Acting and last year made her professional stage debut as Wendy in the Christmas production of Peter Pan at the Curve in Leicester. She said today: “I am so unbelievably excited to be joining the wonderful cast of Grease. It was one of the first musicals I was taken to see as a young child and so to be given the opportunity to recreate the iconic role of Sandy and to make my West End debut in the show, is a dream come true. I feel like the luckiest girl in the world!”

The longest ever run of a show at the Piccadilly Theatre in London, Grease is now in its third year and has been seen by over 1 million people.

Other cast in the show include Matthew Goodgame, Lucas Rush, Hayley Gallivan, Benjamin Ibbott, Faye Brookes, Bennett Andrews, Robyn Mellor, Michael Vinsen, Susannah Allman, Kerry Winter, Stephanie Powell and Jason Capewell.

SPECIAL OFFER: Save £21 on tickets to Grease at the Piccadilly Theatre in London

Wizard of Oz West End

The Wizard of Oz at the London Palladium

Andrew Lloyd Webber’s multi-million pound production of The Wizard of Oz starring Over The Rainbow winner Danielle Hope as Dorothy, Michael Crawford as the Wizard, Hannah Waddingham as the Wicked Witch of the West and Paul Keating as the Scarecrow.

The show will start performances on 7 February 2011 at the London Palladium (CLICK HERE TO BOOK TICKETS).

Sign up here for news, casting and ticketing information on The Wizard Of Oz.

Lord Webber is producing the show, following his search for a Dorothy in BBC One’s Over The Rainbow.

The first stage version of L Frank Baum’s classic book was in 1902 starring Anna Laughlin. The 1939 MGM film starring Judy Garland is the most famous version of the show, and was adapted into a stage musical in 1945 by Frank Gabrielson for the St. Louis Municipal Opera. In 1987 the RSC produced a new stage musical version which was much closer to the film, and starred Imelda Staunton as Dorothy, who was nominated for an Olivier award for Outstanding Performance of the Year by an Actress in a Musical.

Andrew Lloyd Webber will look to add some new songs to the stage show: “The film worked fantastically but we need some new songs for the stage show”, said Lloyd Webber.

BOOK TICKETS TO THE WIZARD OF OZ AT THE LONDON PALLADIUM

FURTHER INFORMATION ABOUT THE WIZARD OF OZ:

Advice on staging productions of The Wizard of Oz

About the first (1902) stage play of The Wizard of Oz

History of stage productions of The Wizard of Oz

Wizard of Oz – Stage Versions

Wizard of Oz – Stage adaptations

Classic lines from the film

The screenplay of the classic MGM film

Website celebrating The Wizard of Oz – including a FAQs section

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