Monday, April 18, 2011
Stage Players rework ‘The Wizard of Oz’
The Pitt News: "The much beloved classic “The Wizard of Oz” has undergone an extreme makeover in Rage of the Stage Players’ newest performance, which transforms it into a mature, darkly humorous tale. Set in a mental institution, Dorothy (known here as Dottie) and her companions are patients, trying to find a way out. Each character is more damaged than his original incarnation: Dottie is bipolar, “Skarekrow” is a heroin-addicted goth rocker, The Tin Man (known as Rusty) is a biker with anger issues and an ax and the Cowardly Lion (Mr. Lyons) is a sexually frustrated deviant.
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8 comments:
What the fuck?
I agree with Meg.
There are plenty of opportunities to write or produce a play about a mental institution. Why take a wonderful piece of entertainment taken from a wonderfully written series and turn it into a twisted performance mocking a great show? It sounds like there was really a desperate need for a show, and without an original idea, they took a wonderful piece of art and poorly turned it into a shallow piece of theater. I wonder how much it will make...
I also agree with Meg...
Ummm...Sometimes classics should stay classic. They are classic for a reason. Although I often applaud artistic challenges in theater this one is a little too far-fetched.
There are many shows that have mental institutions in them. Why make "The Wizard of Oz" in a mental institution? This just sounds like a bad idea. I agree with Sophia. It's great book and I think they just took a wrong turn down the yellow brick road and now they are lost in the forest of Oz.
I I like classics. I like new shows as well, a new incarnation of a show good or bad doesn't destroy the classic piece. Wizard of Oz is still classic and always will be. And although I agree that maybe a mental institution is not the best place to set Oz, I am still intrigued by the idea. I don't think my classmates should judge the quality of the show without seeing it, or at least reading a review. This article was just an announcement. I would be interested to see if they updated the songs as well as the setting. I would think they had to since "Skarekrow" is a goth rocker, I can't see him singing the original "If I Only Had a Brain." I would reserve judgement for the show until having seen it and after reading this article I am interested to do so.
Actually, we are a dark/fringe theatre and take most of the "childhood classics" and re-work them into something darker. The concept itself is great and we are a sold out show. The show is also being picked up in NYC & LA.
And, as far as coming to see it....
here's the info:
The Henry Heymann Theatre
(Stephen Foster Memorial)
Forbes Ave.
April 21-23 // 28-30
Curtain: 8pm
15$ cash
10$ cash -- Thursday night w/ Student ID
I feel like there is a bit of a WTF factor to this but I think that Oz is one of those classic tales that can be taken in a bunch of different directions, like Alice in Wonderland. True, there are a lot of ways to screw up or drop the ball when reworking smoething that so many people have grown to love, but just because this production sounds far fetched doesn't mean that the production isn't justified. Darker versions of children's tales are oftentimes riveting and more entertaining than the original (e.g. all of the Grimm tales that were turned into cute Disney movies and then back into their nightmarish original selves). David and David, this David's got your backs. Best of luck to your show, I will see it if I get the opportunity :)
This production sounds awesome. I think that the best way to keep classics interesting and lively is to updating them. This is very good also for getting people to the theater. People will go to see the wizard of Oz and feel a connection to it because they know the story but it will not be boring because of how it is updated. I think that this adaptation could be promising and if nothing else very intriguing. I also wonder if these changes would be changes to the script or would just be changes to the design concept. Or are they revamping the entire script?
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