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Show Synopsis
Adapted for the Stage by Claude Townley
Based on the novel by L. Frank Baum
Produced by special arrangement with Samuel French, an imprint of Concord Theatricals Corp.
Act 1
Dorothy is a young girl who lives with her Aunt Em, Uncle Henry, and dog, Toto, on a farm on the Kansas prairie. One day, Dorothy and Toto are caught up in a cyclone that deposits them and the farmhouse into Munchkin Country in the magical Land of Oz. The falling house has killed the Wicked Witch of the East, the evil ruler of the Munchkins. The Good Witch of the North arrives with three grateful Munchkins and gives Dorothy the magical silver shoes that originally belonged to the Wicked Witch of the East. The Good Witch tells Dorothy that the only way she can return home to Kansas is to follow the yellow brick road to the Emerald City and ask the great and powerful Wizard of Oz to help her. As Dorothy embarks on her journey, the Good Witch of the North kisses her on the forehead, giving her magical protection from harm.
On her way down she frees a Scarecrow from the pole on which he is hanging, applies oil from a can to the rusted joints of a Tin Woodman, and meets a Cowardly Lion. The Scarecrow wants a brain, the Tin Woodman wants a heart, and the Lion wants courage, so Dorothy encourages them to journey with her and Toto to the Emerald City to ask for help from the Wizard.
After several adventures, the travelers arrive at the Emerald City and meet the Guardian of the Gates, who asks them to wear green tinted spectacles to keep their eyes from being blinded by the city's brilliance. Each one is called to see the Wizard. He appears as a giant head with the intention of scaring them all, but of course choosing the wrong image to make the desired impression. He agrees to help them all if they kill the Wicked Witch of the West, who rules over the land of the West. The Guardian warns them that no one has ever managed to defeat the Witch of the West.
Act 2
The Wicked Witch of the West sees the travelers approaching with her one telescopic eye. She uses the power of her Golden Cap to send the King of the Winged Monkeys to capture Dorothy, Toto, and the Lion. She cages the Lion, scatters the straw of the Scarecrow, and dents the Tin Woodman. Dorothy is forced to become the witch's personal slave, while the Witch schemes to steal her silver shoes' powerful magic.
The witch successfully tricks Dorothy out of one of her silver shoes. Angered, she throws a bucket of water at the witch and is shocked to see her melt away. Dorothy finds the witch's Golden Cap and summons the Winged Monkeys to carry her and her friends back to the Emerald City. The King of the Winged Monkeys tells how he and his band are bound by an enchantment to the cap by a sorceress and that Dorothy may use it to summon them two more times.
When Dorothy and her friends meet the Wizard again, Toto tips over a screen in a corner of the throne room that reveals "the Wizard", who sadly explains he is a humbug—An ordinary old person who, by a hot air balloon, came to Oz long ago from Omaha. They provide the Scarecrow with a head full of bran, pins, and needles ("a lot of bran-new brains"), the Tin Woodman with a silk heart stuffed with sawdust, and the Lion a potion of "courage". Their faith in the Wizard's power gives these items a focus for their desires. The Wizard decides to take Dorothy and Toto home and then go back to Omaha in their balloon. At the send-off, Toto chases a kitten in the crowd and Dorothy goes after him, but the ropes holding the balloon break and the Wizard floats away.
Dorothy summons the Winged Monkeys and tells them to carry her and Toto home, but they explain they can't cross the desert surrounding Oz. The Soldier with the Green Whiskers informs Dorothy that Glinda, the Good Witch of the South may be able to help her return home. Glinda greets them and reveals that Dorothy's silver shoes can take her anywhere she wishes to go. Dorothy takes Toto in her arms, knocks her heels together three times, and wishes to return home. Instantly, she begins whirling through the air and rolling on the grass of the Kansas prairie, up to the farmhouse, though the silver shoes fall off her feet en route and are lost in the Deadly Desert. She runs to Aunt Em, saying "I'm so glad to be home again!"
Based on the novel by L. Frank Baum
Produced by special arrangement with Samuel French, an imprint of Concord Theatricals Corp.
Act 1
Dorothy is a young girl who lives with her Aunt Em, Uncle Henry, and dog, Toto, on a farm on the Kansas prairie. One day, Dorothy and Toto are caught up in a cyclone that deposits them and the farmhouse into Munchkin Country in the magical Land of Oz. The falling house has killed the Wicked Witch of the East, the evil ruler of the Munchkins. The Good Witch of the North arrives with three grateful Munchkins and gives Dorothy the magical silver shoes that originally belonged to the Wicked Witch of the East. The Good Witch tells Dorothy that the only way she can return home to Kansas is to follow the yellow brick road to the Emerald City and ask the great and powerful Wizard of Oz to help her. As Dorothy embarks on her journey, the Good Witch of the North kisses her on the forehead, giving her magical protection from harm.
On her way down she frees a Scarecrow from the pole on which he is hanging, applies oil from a can to the rusted joints of a Tin Woodman, and meets a Cowardly Lion. The Scarecrow wants a brain, the Tin Woodman wants a heart, and the Lion wants courage, so Dorothy encourages them to journey with her and Toto to the Emerald City to ask for help from the Wizard.
After several adventures, the travelers arrive at the Emerald City and meet the Guardian of the Gates, who asks them to wear green tinted spectacles to keep their eyes from being blinded by the city's brilliance. Each one is called to see the Wizard. He appears as a giant head with the intention of scaring them all, but of course choosing the wrong image to make the desired impression. He agrees to help them all if they kill the Wicked Witch of the West, who rules over the land of the West. The Guardian warns them that no one has ever managed to defeat the Witch of the West.
Act 2
The Wicked Witch of the West sees the travelers approaching with her one telescopic eye. She uses the power of her Golden Cap to send the King of the Winged Monkeys to capture Dorothy, Toto, and the Lion. She cages the Lion, scatters the straw of the Scarecrow, and dents the Tin Woodman. Dorothy is forced to become the witch's personal slave, while the Witch schemes to steal her silver shoes' powerful magic.
The witch successfully tricks Dorothy out of one of her silver shoes. Angered, she throws a bucket of water at the witch and is shocked to see her melt away. Dorothy finds the witch's Golden Cap and summons the Winged Monkeys to carry her and her friends back to the Emerald City. The King of the Winged Monkeys tells how he and his band are bound by an enchantment to the cap by a sorceress and that Dorothy may use it to summon them two more times.
When Dorothy and her friends meet the Wizard again, Toto tips over a screen in a corner of the throne room that reveals "the Wizard", who sadly explains he is a humbug—An ordinary old person who, by a hot air balloon, came to Oz long ago from Omaha. They provide the Scarecrow with a head full of bran, pins, and needles ("a lot of bran-new brains"), the Tin Woodman with a silk heart stuffed with sawdust, and the Lion a potion of "courage". Their faith in the Wizard's power gives these items a focus for their desires. The Wizard decides to take Dorothy and Toto home and then go back to Omaha in their balloon. At the send-off, Toto chases a kitten in the crowd and Dorothy goes after him, but the ropes holding the balloon break and the Wizard floats away.
Dorothy summons the Winged Monkeys and tells them to carry her and Toto home, but they explain they can't cross the desert surrounding Oz. The Soldier with the Green Whiskers informs Dorothy that Glinda, the Good Witch of the South may be able to help her return home. Glinda greets them and reveals that Dorothy's silver shoes can take her anywhere she wishes to go. Dorothy takes Toto in her arms, knocks her heels together three times, and wishes to return home. Instantly, she begins whirling through the air and rolling on the grass of the Kansas prairie, up to the farmhouse, though the silver shoes fall off her feet en route and are lost in the Deadly Desert. She runs to Aunt Em, saying "I'm so glad to be home again!"