September 2010
24 posts
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““Merry Christmas, Caroline”
April 1962
Airman 3rd Class Charles...”
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Hip Wiz Wows Angel City
A Hip “Wiz” Opens at the Ahmanson
BY DAN SULLIVAN Times Theater Critic[review of the original L.A. opening] “The Wiz” makes a wonderful splash at the Ahmanson. There’s more to this black musical update of the “The Wizard of Oz” than meets the eye, but what does meet the eye is so dazzling that you have to start with that.
Designers Geoffrey Holder...
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“A small dog is needed for a walk-on role as Toto in CENTERSTAGE’s production of...”
– Like the re-broadcast of a radio call-in show, no need to respond to this; just sharing another little tidbit of some what it took to put up The Wiz here. Yes, there will be not one but two Totos alternating in the role. Children and dogs….
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The Story of the Real Dorothy Gage →
Some historical and genealogical digging into the possible real-life inspiration for Baum’s Dorothy, and all those who’ve followed.
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Another day...
another query from rehearsal. Again from the first week of rehearsal, this came our way:
We are swinging into gear up here. On p. 14 of the re-typed script, ADDAPERLE talks about “wave of my wanga” and we have a version of a wanga from props, but Irene is curious about additional research on wangas. She will also be talking to a magic consultant about ADDAPERLE turning this prop into a pair...
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A busy day of rehearsal dramaturgy
Back on September 1, questions were veritably gushing out of rehearsal. Yes, on that first pass through the script some very interesting queries emerged, in part because there had not been time for the usual table work to delve into these before the company got on its feet.
Stage Management inquired:
We are wondering in rehearsal what is the best way to pronounce “kalidah”. This led us to...
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Now that THE WIZ has had its first crowd....
…and since you can see some snaps of what things are looking like on stage, here are a few assorted snippets of where things have been and come since that first day of rehearsal almost exactly a month ago. First up, a few excerpts from an early stage manager’s report, showing the evolution of thinking about some set dressing (including that laundry line pictured elsewhere, not to...
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“Throwing shoes is kind of like a way of saying, “That was friggen sick! I...”
– Anonymous
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WIZ dramaturgy du jour
Though the company is poised to go into tech rehearsals any moment, a few new queries dribbled down from rehearsal our way today. Among them was this one:
…on a lighter note, the cast started throwing shoes at the stage today when one of the principals was singing a particularly rousing song. They say it is the highest form of compliment. Irene is wondering where that tradition came ...
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KJ Sanchez helms "Theater of War" →
While we unburdened crawl (well, frolic quite delightedly) towards first preview of The Wiz in less than two weeks, we’re also gearing up around here for quite a few other activities. Tonight, for instance, is the first Cabaret—featuring legendary songstress KT Sullivan—and October 7th ushers in the first Play Lab (James Magruder and his sinfully side-splitting domestic...
Holy Ticket-Sales, Batman!
Just heard from my sources that College night for The Wiz is SOLD OUT! If these portents portend well, better get your tickets now!
http://www.centerstage.org/Default.aspx?alias=www.centerstage.org/thewiz
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A Bumpy Road for The Wiz
here’s a sneak preview peek at one of the program pieces prepared by dramaturg Otis Ramsey-Zoe for the upcoming production of that glorious rock’n’soul extravaganza, The Wiz.
A Hard Road to Ease
by Otis Ramsey-Zöe
FIRST MUNCHKIN: You can’t miss it.
DOROTHY: I can’t?
FIFTH MUNCHKIN: No.
SECOND MUNCHKIN: You see that road of yellow bricks?
—William F. Brown &...
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The Wonder of The Wiz
The Wonder of The Wiz
By Jack Viertel 02 July 2009
Encores! artistic director Jack Viertel discusses the groundbreaking nature of The Wiz, playing at City Center.
We’ve come a long way since Jan. 5, 1975, the night The Wiz arrived at the Majestic Theatre on 44th Street, an unexpected, if not exactly unwelcome guest. Back then, no one really had any idea what to expect from a rock...
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Peter Filichia's Blog about The Wiz →
Recalling a less-than-auspicious start, right here in Charm City, for what became one of the legends of musical Broadway.
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Getting Excited?...
We are!
check out our blog and let us know how pumped you are for the upcoming production of The Wiz!
Wiz Blog
