Can you believe that the MGM film, Wizard Of Oz, premiered in 1939? It cost $2.7 million to make and until a decade after it’s release, it seemed destined to make a loss, despite being nominated for five Academy Awards.
I’ve watched that film many times, both as a child, when it seemed to be on TV all the time and now as an adult. It’s a brilliant film and of course it stars Judy Garland, one of the most beloved singers of her generation.
Garland’s signature song was from Wizard of Oz; the wonderful Somewhere Over the Rainbow. It’s a clever story, originally from a book called The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by L.Frank Baum, written in 1900. It was beautifully filmed, using black and white for the sequences in Kansas and then busting into Technicolour for the fantasy, which sees the Scarecrow, Tinman and Lion take centre stage alongside the Wicked Witch and the Munchkins.
For many years, the Wizard of Oz was even the centre piece of the Great Movie Ride at Disney’s Hollywood Studios in Florida. Great music is of course central to the film with Oscar winning, Somewhere Over the Rainbow, being the best known, but there’s also Ding Dong the Witch is Dead, We’re off to see the Wizard, If I only had a Heart and Follow the Yellowbrick Road. I’d certainly describe the film as one of the best Musical films ever made.
Here we are in 2024, nearly a century later, and the stage Musical will be pulling in the crowds at Manchester’s Palace Theatre until May 5th with our very own multi-talented superstar Jason Manford as the Cowardly Lion. I’ve been chatting to Emmerdale star Benjamin Yates, who’ll play Scarecrow on stage and asked him about the show. He told me he’d just met Manford for the first time, just before my interview with him.
I can tell Benjamin was excited to be playing such an iconic role, though he has already starred in the West End in Jersey Boys and School of Rock. He’s also played Flyero in the UK tour of Wicked, the story of the Wicked Witch of the West, which will also be visiting Manchester later in the year.
Personally, I can’t wait to see Wizard of Oz on stage and when I booked two tickets for me and my wife there were not many left, so if you’re planning to see the show, you’d better get booking straight away. You can hear my interview with Benjamin Yates on my radio show this week, when you’ll find out more about his career, the Wizard of Oz and his favourite musical.
I’ve also been chatting to Darren Stannage, the Company manager of the wonderful Romiley Forum, which has been closed down in recent months because RAAC had been found in their ceiling structures. The good news is that repairs are currently taking place and the aim is reopen the theatre in June with Everybody’s Talking about Jamie (Teen edition). The talented NK Theatre Arts will be back on stage and it promises to be another cracker.
My third guest on this week’s show is Rachel Konnanov, who’ll be playing Belle in the upcoming run of Beauty & the Beast by Rochdale Musical Theatre Company from 10th to 18th May at Champness Hall. She told me she’d dreamed of the role since she had been a young child. It’s another of my favourite Musicals and another I can’t wait to see.
Join me every Sunday from 7pm and every Wednesday from 9pm to hear interviews from the wonderful creatives from live Theatre. That’s Break-a-Leg on Tameside Radio 103.6FM.
