1987 Original London production The RSC premiered the musical over Christmas 1987 at the
Barbican Centre; it based its costumes on a combination of the book's original artwork and the style of the then-popular musical
The Wiz. The original cast featured
Imelda Staunton as Dorothy Gale;
Bille Brown (in drag) as Miss Gulch/the
Wicked Witch of the West;
Dilys Laye and later
Joyce Grant as Aunt Em/
Glinda, the Good Witch of the North; and
Trevor Peacock as Zeke/the
Cowardly Lion and
Sebastian Shaw as The Wizard of Oz/Professor Marvel. When the same production was reproduced in 1988,
Gillian Bevan played Dorothy. The production was an immediate success in London when it opened at London's
Barbican Theatre.
The Times reviewer wrote: "This is, to come out with it immediately, the most marvellous show." The RSC revived the show the following season, again with
Gillian Bevan as Dorothy, and recorded a cast album of the show. The staging has been repeated frequently by musical theatre companies in the United Kingdom.
1988 United States premiere The RSC version's first outing in the U.S. was in 1988 in a production starring
Cathy Rigby as Dorothy (she had made her musical debut in the role in a 1981 MUNY revival) and
Lara Teeter as the Scarecrow.
1989 The Wizard of Oz Live! Arena Show In 1989, in celebration of the 50th anniversary of the film, the RSC script and score were adapted into an arena-style touring production in the U.S. According to
USA Today, the show was "Built to play about 70 stadiums across the country, the $5 million production opened Wednesday at
Radio City Music Hall." The production, with many dramatic and, according to critics, ill-advised design features, was not well received and had a short run, closing quietly in 1990. The production played in December 1991 in
Brisbane and January to February 1992 in
Adelaide. The cast included
Tamsin West as Dorothy,
Cameron Daddo as Hunk/Scarecrow (replaced by
Brian Rooney in Brisbane and Adelaide),
David Whitney as Hickory/The Tinman,
Pamela Rabe as Miss Gulch/Wicked Witch and
John Gaden as Professor Marvel/The Wizard (replaced by
Bert Newton in Brisbane and Adelaide).
1993 U.S. tour The RSC version was used in the first U.S. stage touring production based on the film, beginning in 1993. The
Boston Herald reported that the show was "complete with all the beloved songs by Harold Arlen and E. Y. Harburg. It's well-acted and extremely well-sung by a cast that draws on the movie classic's indelible characterizations of Dorothy, the Scarecrow, the Tin Man, the Cowardly Lion, etc."
1995 The Wizard of Oz in Concert: Dreams Come True This version used the RSC version and was filmed for television by the
TNT network with an all-star cast, including
Jewel as Dorothy and
Joel Grey as the Wizard.
Jackson Browne,
Roger Daltrey and
Nathan Lane played the Scarecrow, Tin Man and Lion, respectively.
Debra Winger played the Wicked Witch. A cast album was made that includes more of the music from the show than the 1989 RSC recording as well as some dialogue. This production was repeated in May 1998 at Madison Square Garden. It featured
Mickey Rooney as the Wizard and
Eartha Kitt as the Wicked Witch of the West. While the show went on tour across the country,
Liliane Montevecchi replaced Kitt as the Wicked Witch.
Jo Anne Worley later played the role. The US tour ended in 1999.
2000s 2001 Australia From November 2001 to February 2002, a production directed by
Nancye Hayes was staged at the
Lyric Theatre in
Sydney, Australia. This version followed the movie version very closely in design. The cast included pop-star
Nikki Webster as Dorothy,
Delia Hannah as Aunt Em/Glinda,
Kane Alexander as Hunk/Scarecrow,
Doug Parkinson as Zeke/Cowardly Lion,
Pamela Rabe as Miss Gulch/Wicked Witch, and
Bert Newton as Professor Marvel/The Wizard. and then to the
Lyric Theatre in Brisbane, where
Patti Newton (the wife of Bert Newton) and
Derek Metzger, respectively, played Aunt Em/Glinda and Hunk/Scarecrow.
2008 and 2017 U.S. tours A touring production of the show ran in cities across the U.S. from October 2008 to January 2012. Another touring production began running across the U.S. in October 2017. It features new scenic design, costumes & choreography.
2020s 2021 Pittsburgh A production from
Pittsburgh CLO played at
Acrisure Stadium (then known as Heinz Field) from July 8–10, 2021 with Jessica Grové reprising the role of Dorothy, which she had played in the Madison Square Garden production.
2023 San Francisco A production from the
American Conservatory Theater played in San Francisco from June 1–25, 2023.
Sam Pinkleton directed, with costume and scenic design by
David Zinn. ==See also==