Aunt Hannah

Everything OZ continues these days. L Frank Baum would be flabbergasted to think that his 1900 novel 'THE  WONDERFUL WIZARD OF OZ' would be as popular, if not MORE popular, in 2025. The endless fascination  with the story of young Dorothy being whisked away by a twister from her home in Kansas to the mystical land of Oz has always been a favorite of young and old. The beloved MGM musical starring Judy Garland continues to be a perennial favorite. And in 1975 a little musical called THE WIZ took Broadway by storm, updating the story to present day with an all Black cast. In 2003, the prequel musical WICKED opened and  has been dazzling Broadway audiences ever since, to say nothing of the blockbuster movie version in 2024. The 2025 Academy Awards included 'Somewhere Over The Rainbow,'  2 songs from THE WIZ and 1 from WICKED. The fascination continues....

What did our critic think of THE WIZ (THE TOURING COMPANY) at Connor Palace?

The Wiz: The Super Soul Musical is a musical with lyrics and music by Charlie Smalls (and others) and book by William F. Brown. It is a retelling of L. Frank Baum's classic 1900 children's novel The Wonderful Wizard of Oz in the context of modern African-American culture. A big-budget movie adaptation (which has gone on to achieve cult status) was released in 1978 starring Diana Ross and Michael Jackson. A live television production, The Wiz, Live! was broadcast on NBC in 2015 to high ratings and critical acclaim.