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Pittsburgh Tribune-Review: "For many theatergoers the Yellow Brick Road is a well worn path. But the journey to Oz remains a thrilling experience filled with moments both scary and touching for those who are making the journey for the first time."
Even though I often find that shows which are so generic and overdone, its important to remember that they are done so frequently for a reason. Something like The Wizard of Oz is a classic, and is so maybe remakes are necessary. However, it seems like after having been done time after time, one would think that they would learn to do something incredible and inventive with the show.
I saw this production of opening night. It was quite enjoyable. I was excited and moved by the cute characters and catchy songs, as if I were back to little innocent kids.
Actually, I saw "Wicked" first. Then, I saw the movie of "Wizard of Oz" a while ago, and this time I finally got to see the stage of "Oz" for the first time. In that way, weirdly enough, I realized that the story of "Wicked" made sense more.
Because of the nature of fantasy, the visual effects by projection took a greatly important role. I was concerned about an excess use of it due to tendency of budget cuts on scenic pieces or dependence on projection. However, on the contrary to my anxiety, I think the projection design was interacting with the stage sets well, in the relatively small opening of the proscenium.
This show is a perfect example when we consider how often we should revive certain shows, and when they are revived, how can we keep the classic feel of the show, but do something a little different with it. I was not able to see this specific production, but I think it's very interesting that projection was heavily used to create some of the scenes, and the last time I saw it, I don't seem to remember how different the scenes in Kansas were from scenes in Oz in terms of using black and white/sepia colors for Kansas. This show is a well-integrated part of our culture and I'm sure we will continue to revive this show and explore the many ways we can use technology to bring this show to life.
3 comments:
Even though I often find that shows which are so generic and overdone, its important to remember that they are done so frequently for a reason. Something like The Wizard of Oz is a classic, and is so maybe remakes are necessary.
However, it seems like after having been done time after time, one would think that they would learn to do something incredible and inventive with the show.
I saw this production of opening night. It was quite enjoyable. I was excited and moved by the cute characters and catchy songs, as if I were back to little innocent kids.
Actually, I saw "Wicked" first. Then, I saw the movie of "Wizard of Oz" a while ago, and this time I finally got to see the stage of "Oz" for the first time. In that way, weirdly enough, I realized that the story of "Wicked" made sense more.
Because of the nature of fantasy, the visual effects by projection took a greatly important role. I was concerned about an excess use of it due to tendency of budget cuts on scenic pieces or dependence on projection. However, on the contrary to my anxiety, I think the projection design was interacting with the stage sets well, in the relatively small opening of the proscenium.
This show is a perfect example when we consider how often we should revive certain shows, and when they are revived, how can we keep the classic feel of the show, but do something a little different with it. I was not able to see this specific production, but I think it's very interesting that projection was heavily used to create some of the scenes, and the last time I saw it, I don't seem to remember how different the scenes in Kansas were from scenes in Oz in terms of using black and white/sepia colors for Kansas. This show is a well-integrated part of our culture and I'm sure we will continue to revive this show and explore the many ways we can use technology to bring this show to life.
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