Eli Cooper, Alex Rathgeber, and John Xintavelonis Join the Cast of THE WIZARD OF OZ
By: Julie Musbach Aug. 20, 2017
Producers John Frost and SuzAnne Jones today announced additional cast members for the upcoming Australian tour of the world's favourite musical, The Wizard of Oz.
Eli Cooper (Grease, Matilda) will play the role of the Scarecrow, Alex Rathgeber (Anything Goes, The Phantom of the Opera) will play the Tin Man, and John Xintavelonis (The Lion King, Billy Elliot) will play the Lion. The ensemble cast includes Paul Hanlon as Uncle Henry and Sophie Weiss as Auntie Em, alongside Justin Anderson, SheriDan Anderson, Lewis Beer, Shay Debney, Sage Douglas, Mikey Halcrow, Zoe Ioannou, Bree Langridge, Rubin Matters, Scott Morris, Justine Puy, Michael Roache, Mitchell Roberts, Emma Russell, Dean Schulz, Darren Tyler, Caleb Vines, Stephanie Wall and Rachael Ward.
The principal cast members already announced are Anthony Warlowas The Wizard and Professor Marvel, Lucy Durack as Glinda the Good Witch and Jemma Rix as The Wicked Witch of the West. Rising star Samantha Dodemaide will play the coveted role of Dorothy, her first leading role in a major musical.
The producers also announced today that The Wizard of Oz will tour toAdelaide from 3 April 2018, playing at the Festival Theatre, and toMelbourne from 15 May at the Regent Theatre. Fans in these cities can waitlist now at wizardofozthemusical.com to be the first in line to purchase tickets.
"We're thrilled with our superb cast led by Anthony, Lucy and Jemma, and the wonderful Samantha Dodemaide will make a perfect Dorothy," said John Frost. "I'm sure audiences can't wait to travel the yellow brick road and return to Oz, and the classic story that's universally loved. This beautiful, sumptuous production was a huge hit in London and the US, and audiences adored the new songs by Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice."
"The demand for tickets in Brisbane and Sydney has been huge, and we're very happy to add Adelaide and Melbourne to the tour," added SuzAnne Jones. "I'm looking forward to taking this wonderful new version of The Wizard of Oznationwide."
The London Palladium production of Andrew Lloyd Webber's The Wizard of Ozwill have its Australian Premiere in Brisbane at the Lyric Theatre, QPAC from 4 November before travelling to the Capitol Theatre, Sydney from 30 December; the Festival Theatre, Adelaide from 3 April; and the Regent Theatre, Melbourne, from 15 May.
Developed from the ever-popular MGM screenplay, the London Palladium production of The Wizard of Oz contains the beloved Harold Arlen and E.Y. Harburg songs from the Oscar®-winning movie score, all the favorite characters and iconic moments, plus a few surprises along the way, including new songs by Tim Rice and Andrew Lloyd Webber.
Andrew Lloyd Webber's new production of The Wizard of Oz had its world premiere at The London Palladium Theatre in March 2011. After a successful West End run, the production had its North American premiere in Toronto in December 2012, and then embarked on a US tour from September 2013. The production boasts a stellar creative team: Jeremy Sams (direction), Robert Jones (set and costume design), Arlene Phillips (choreography), Hugh Vanstone (lighting design), Mick Potter (sound design), Jon Driscoll & Daniel Brodie (video/projection design), David Cullen (orchestrations) and Guy Simpson (musical supervision).
Click your heels together and join Scarecrow, Tin Man, Lion, Dorothy and her little dog Toto, as they journey through the magical land of Oz to meet the Wizard and obtain their hearts' desires. Watch out for the Wicked Witch of the West and her winged monkeys as you rediscover the real story of Oz in this fantastic musical treat for the whole family.
The Queensland Government is proud to support The Wizard of OzPremiere through Tourism and Events Queensland as part of the It's Live! in Queensland events calendar. Queensland, just the place to experience Australia's best live events.
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