Aaron Fried as Lion, Jay McGill as Tin Man, Morgan Reynolds as Scarecrow and Sarah Lasko as Dorothy in “We’re Off to Meet the Wizard” in The Wizard of Oz © Daniel A. Swalec
Somewhere over the rainbow, or our Nation’s Capital rather, the road to Oz awaits! My daughter and I traveled to the National Theatre Washington DC where our journey begun. From Kansas to the tornado, all the way to OZ, we loved our journey as we saw one of most beloved stories come to life right in front of us!
This new production of The Wizard of Oz is an enchanting adaptation of the all-time classic, totally reconceived for the stage. Developed from the ever popular MGM screenplay, this production contains the beloved 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.
The music, the costumes, the cast, it all blew me away! From beginning to end I was enchanted by the songs and felt as though I was in the story. Such cool special effects took place throughout like lights, smoke, and the screen. It really made you feel as though you were in the story watching from the side lines. The munchkins provided lots of laughter and fun musical numbers. I loved seeing Dorothy gather her new friends as they traveled through the magical land of Oz. The songs that followed after each introduction were my favorite part. The Scarecrow, Tin Man and the Cowardly Lion were magnificent! The tapping Tin Man was so fun to watch. Of course my daughter loved hearing Somewhere Over The Rainbow sung beautifully by Dorothy. I loved how delightfully good Glinda was and how wickedly evil the Wicked Witch of the West was. The cast did a marvelous job brining these characters to life!
Rachel Womble as Glinda in The Wizard of Oz at the National © Daniel A. Swalec
Shani Hadjian as the Wicked Witch of the West in The Wizard of Oz © Daniel A. Swalec
This show really is good for all ages. That being said, you know your kids best. There is smoke and fire effects, as well as flying monkeys that are a little creepy. To me, they really added to the show and the wickedness of the witch. There were plenty of preschool aged kids in the audience. The show runs 2 hours and 18 minutes with a 20 minute intermission.
My daughter and I absolutely loved our journey down the yellow brick road to Oz, and I think you will, too!
The Company of The Wizard of Oz in “Merry Old Land of Oz” in The Wizard of Oz © Daniel A. Swalec
The Wizard of Oz runs May 3-May 15 at The National Theatre located at 1321 Pennsylvania Ave, Washington DC. The National Theatre also offers Family Nights where you can buy 1 adult ticket and get 1 child ticket free. For Family Night details, see this previous post. Click here for more details and to purchase tickets.
I was provided with complimentary tickets to this show in exchange for my review. As always, all opinions are 100 % my own.
