-Danielle Hope, who won the BBC's "Over the Rainbow" competition against 9,000 other potential Dorothys, earned her professional debut on the West End
- snowing on the stage and on the audience!
-Sir Andrew Lloyd Webber and Dorothy
- the aftermath of the snow
- Michael Crawford as The Wizard of Oz
I've never been much of a fan of musical theater but that may have changed in recent years as the quality of the productions and stories have increased substantially. I saw Phantom of the Opera in Los Angeles with Michael Crawford and The Producers in New York with Nathan Lane and Matthew Broderick and thought they were both top notch productions.
The BBC aired a program last year that helped to transform my thinking on this particular genre of theater. The program, Over the Rainbow, was produced by Andrew Lloyd Webber in an effort to find the perfect Dorothy for his then upcoming West End production of The Wizard of Oz. A bit of a reality show much like American Idol or The X-Factor, the potential Dorothys competed each week for the opportunity of a lifetime.
Being a student of straight theater I could never understand the typical campy musical theater type of show. However, what Over the Rainbow showed me was the incredible amount of skill that an entertainer must have to perform at the highest level in musical theater. Not only an excellent voice, but the ability to act with honest emotion, to move sensibly and honestly in character, and have access to a wide range of emotions.
I'm not converted completely but it certainly opened my eyes and made me realize that musical theater can be a rewarding experience for this theater-goer...
I absolutely and thoroughly enjoyed this show. Partly because we all know the story and it brings back memories from childhood, partly because you forget how brilliant the original story is, partly because Andrew Lloyd Webber's version is not a strict adaptation, and partly because the audience of this matinee performance was filled with children who collectively laughed at the appropriate moments and booed the wicked witch repeatedly, adding up to what I can only describe as a wonderful theater experience.
I must thank my wife for this wonderful birthday gift...
