Theatre News

”The Wizard of Oz” to embark on UK tour with festive season in Liverpool

Jonny Fines, Ben Thompson, Georgina Onuorah, Giovanni Spano and Paul French in The Wizard of Oz
Jonny Fines, Ben Thompson, Georgina Onuorah, Giovanni Spano and Paul French in The Wizard of Oz
© Marc Brenner

The five-star Curve Leicester staging of The Wizard of Oz will embark on a major tour following its summer season at The London Palladium.

Featuring numbers from the iconic original score by Harold Arlen and E Y Hardburg, including “Over The Rainbow”, “Follow The Yellow Brick Road” and “We’re Off To See the Wizard”, the piece also has additional songs from Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice.

It received a glowing review from WhatsOnStage, being described as “sheer theatrical wizardry and far too good to miss.”

Directed by Nikolai Foster (Billy Elliot The Musical, A Chorus Line), The Wizard of Oz has choreography by Shay Barclay, set design by Colin Richmond, projection design by Douglas O’Connell, costume and puppet designer by Rachael Canning, lighting design by Ben Cracknell, sound design by Adam Fisher, creative consultancy by Mark Kaufman, musical direction and supervision by George Dyer, casting by Kay Magson, props supervision by Marcus Hall Props, and wigs, hair and make-up design by Elizabeth Marini.

The show will open with a festive season at Liverpool Empire from 13 December 2023 to 7 January 2024, ahead of a tour visiting Southampton, Sheffield, Edinburgh, Southend, Norwich, Llandudno, Bradford, Plymouth, Bristol, Nottingham and Newcastle with further dates through 2024 to be confirmed.

Producer Michael Harrison said: “There really will be no place like the Liverpool Empire this Christmas, as Dorothy, Toto, Scarecrow, Tin Man and Lion embark on their journey down the Yellow Brick Road. Nikolai Foster and his team have created a new and magical production of this beloved musical, and we can’t wait to take the show to Liverpool and then to audiences all around the country.”

The production has said that “star casting for The Wizard of Oz is to be confirmed” – so expect more soon!

Tickets for the Palladium run are on sale below, with general sale for tour dates to come later this week.

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The Wizard of Oz

Closed: 03 September 2023

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