Tag Archives: Wizard of Oz

Wicked musical electrifies audiences through ongoing performances at DeVos Performance Hall

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Wicked, the untold story of the Witches of Oz, takes the stage at DeVos Performance Hall for their second week of performances (Courtesy, Deborah Reed WKTV)



By Deborah Reed

WKTV Managing Editor

deborah@wktv.org


Wicked, the untold story of the Witches of Oz, is taking the DeVos Performance Hall stage for its second week of performances.

  • (Courtesy, Deborah Reed WKTV)
  • (Courtesy, Deborah Reed WKTV)
  • (Courtesy, Deborah Reed WKTV)
  • (Courtesy, Deborah Reed WKTV)
  • (Courtesy, Deborah Reed WKTV)
  • (Courtesy, Deborah Reed WKTV)
  • (Courtesy, Deborah Reed WKTV)
  • (Courtesy, Deborah Reed WKTV)
  • (Courtesy, Deborah Reed WKTV)
  • (Courtesy, Deborah Reed WKTV)

The Tony, Olivier and Grammy Award-winning musical has been dazzling audiences for 20 years. Wicked features music by composer and lyricist Stephen Schwartz – and a timeless story.

“It’s timeless,” said Steve Quinn, Wicked Company Manager. “That’s what I love about it. We’re not in Los Angeles 1926, we’re in Oz. You come in, and it’s a magical place.”

A magical phenomenon

(Courtesy, Deborah Reed WKTV)

Wicked is one of the most popular Broadway shows on the road. The reason for the production’s popularity, Quinn believes, stems from the corresponding 1939 film The Wizard of Oz.

“We all watched it growing up, and we all have our own memories of The Wizard of Oz,” said Quinn. “We have that as the ground story.

“Our director said that if you take The Wizard of Oz and move the camera this way five feet, that’s our story. What happened before Dorothy dropped in? Is [Elphaba] wicked? Is Glinda good? We explore those themes, and we do it in a very clever way.”

This unique take on that story and the theme of friendship woven throughout the musical creates a timeless work of art that remains relevant as the years pass.

There’s no place like Oz…

(Courtesy, Deborah Reed WKTV)

Wicked descended upon DeVos Performance Hall at 8 a.m. on May 13.

The 90-person crew unloaded 13 semi-trailers of equipment into the performance hall and assembled the set, lights and scenery. An additional 20-25 wardrobe and hair crew are hired locally for the duration of the show.

“The most challenging thing [of load-in] is that all of the departments are trying to work at the same time,” said Evan Ensign, Wicked Production Stage Manager. “You’ve got lighting, which needs space, the air show…It’s a lot of pieces.

“As we’re coming in, there is sort of a science to it. There are so many different aspects it takes to get it put in, and to get put in safely.”

And safety is a priority for Ensign.

“We test everything – flying apparatuses – for safety before we put people on things,” said Ensign. “Everybody knows their job, and we make sure that all the different departments get enough time to go through and check all the things that they need to. It’s built into the load-in.”

A real Broadway experience

“Our producers want to make sure that if you are seeing a Broadway show in Grand Rapids, you’re actually seeing a full-mounted production,” said Quinn. “We give you everything. We want to make sure you are getting the same value you would get in New York City.

“And it’s right here in your own backyard.”

Don’t forget the dragon(s)…

Part of that theatrical experience comes in the form of an enormous dragon mounted above the stage. But is there more than one dragon floating around Oz?

“The truth is, there are two dragons,” said Ensign. “They hopscotch cities. There is no way to differentiate which is which.”

A large dragon dominates the top of the stage – but is there only one? (Courtesy, Deborah Reed WKTV)


Audience members are guaranteed an introduction to one of those two dragons at the show. But whether the dragon on that particular day is Ozwald or Norbert…well, that will remain a mystery.

How to experience Wicked

The Broadway musical will run through Sunday, June 2. Tickets are available by calling the Broadway Grand Rapids box office at 616-235-6285 or through Ticketmaster.

For additional information, click here.

Grand Rapids Ballet School’s Junior Company present ‘Wizard of Oz’

Citizen Journalism, Entertainment, Local Entertainment, Recreation, Upcoming Events, ,

By WKTV Staff
joanne@wktv.org

The production of the ‘Wizard of Oz’ will run March 10-12 and 18-19. (Courtesy, Grand Rapids Ballet)

Grand Rapids Ballet School’s (GRBS) Junior Company is ready to fill the Peter Martin Wege Theatre stage with its performance, “Wizard of Oz.” The hour-and-a-half-long ballet is ideal for all Munchkins, young and old.

The ballet, with choreography by Junior Company Artistic Director Attila Mosolygo, follows the story of the original book “The Wonderful Wizard of OZ” written by L. Frank Baum, yet follows the same storyline of the well-known movie, directed by Victor Fleming, throughout the ballet. Follow Dorothy as she travels to the Land of Oz, meets three faithful friends, confronts the Wizard of Oz, and fights off the Wicked Witch of the West.

  

“I am excited to see all of the GRBS Junior Company students showcase their talents as we bring this classic story to the stage,” Mosolygo said. “The students have been working hard the last two and a half months.”

Rehearsals for Wizard of Oz began in December. Grand Rapids Ballet School Junior Company members have been attending class weekly at Grand Rapids Ballet’s Meijer Royce Center for Dance, and in many cases, depending on the role they are cast as, rehearse multiple days per week leading up to the performance. “The production involves more than 50 dancers of the Junior Company. As you can imagine, it can be challenging at times to bring that big of a cast together,” Mosolygo said.

Premiered initially in 2018, Grand Rapids Ballet School Junior Company is excited to bring back this well know the classic tale. Although the props and set design are the same, you may see some differences in the choreography, “As I revisit the ballet, I do tweak each scene and make changes as we go along,” Mosolygo said, “the sets and the costumes were originally created when the premiere happened in 2018. I designed and built the sets myself, based on my interpretation of the story.”

 

GRBS Junior Company is hosting Dorothy & Friends’ Tea Party on Sunday, March 12, at The Rutledge on Ionia. At the events, families will make themed crafts, pose for the photo booth, and meet and greet with characters from the Wizard of Oz; along with having brunch.

 “Wizard of Oz” runs March 10-12 and 18-19, at Peter Martin Wege Theatre. Tickets are $20 online, via phone at 616-454-4771 ext. 110, or in person at GRB’s Box Office. Tickets to Dorothy & Friends’ Tea Party are available for $54 per person on the Grand Rapids Ballet’s website. 

Follow the yellow brick road to Tibbits Opera House

Entertainment, Local Entertainment, , ,
Judy Garland as Dorothy in “The Wizard of Oz.” (MGM Studios)

By Adrienne Brown-Reasner
West Michigan Tourist Association

Iconic glittery red shoes, Judy Garland’s famous rendition of “Somewhere Over the Rainbow,” and the classic story down the yellow brick road will fill Tibbits’ big screen on April 10 at 4 p.m. when the 1939 classic “The Wizard of Oz” is presented as part of the Community-Sponsored Programming.

Starring Judy Garland, Ray Bolger, Bert Lahr, Jack Haley and Margaret Hamilton, the film favorite is based on the 1900 American novel by L. Frank Baum. Rated PG, this movie is fun for the entire family. After a tornado rips through Kansas, Dorothy and her dog Toto are swept away to the magical and vibrant land of Oz. In order to find their way back home, they must embark on a journey to the Emerald City to see the Wizard of Oz. On their way there, they befriend a Scarecrow who longs for a brain, a Tin Man who desires a heart, and a Cowardly Lion who seeks courage. The group is hopeful that the ‘Great Oz’ will be able to fulfill their wishes. Not far behind them is the Wicked Witch of the West, who is out for revenge after Dorothy’s house fell on and killed her sister, the Wicked Witch of the East.

Sponsored by the Tibbits Opera House Endowment – Children’s Programming Fund, this screening is the fourth installment of Community-Sponsored Programming. For those who have always wanted to see a certain movie on the big screen or have their band play on the historic stage, Tibbits is still offering the opportunity for community members to plan and sponsor their own public performance at a fraction of the normal rental price.

The theatre doors, general admission seating, and concession sales for “The Wizard of Oz” begin at 3:30pm with donations at the door. Due to current restrictions, seating for all events is limited and masks are required upon entering and when moving about the theatre.

For more information or to purchase tickets for upcoming events, visit Tibbits.org, stop in at Tibbits business offices at 93 W. Chicago St., Coldwater, or call 517.278.6029. The historic Tibbits Opera House is located at 14 S. Hanchett St., Coldwater.