Danielle Wade Will Star in North American Tour of Wizard of Oz; Itinerary Announced

By Andrew Gans
May 6, 2013

Producers Bill Kenwright, The Really Useful Group, David Mirvish, Troika Entertainment & Warner Bros. Theatre Ventures announced May 6 that the first North American tour of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s new stage adaptation of The Wizard of Oz will begin Sept. 10 at The Smith Center in Las Vegas, NV.

The cast will be headed by Danielle Wade (as Dorothy), who was chosen by the Canadian public through CBC TV's reality show "Over The Rainbow."

Developed from the MGM screenplay, this new production contains all the Harold Arlen and E.Y. Harburg songs from the Oscar-winning movie plus new songs by Tim Rice and Lloyd Webber. This version made its North American premiere on Dec. 20, 2012, in Toronto, ON, at the Ed Mirvish Theatre, where it continues to play through Aug. 18.

The national tour will feature the same award-winning creative team from London and Toronto: Jeremy Sams (direction), Robert Jones (set and costume design), Arlene Phillips (choreography), Hugh Vanstone (lighting design), Mick Potter (sound design), Jon Driscoll (video/projection design), David Cullen (orchestrations) and Graham Hurman (musical supervision). Animals will be provided by William Berloni.

"Click your heels together and join Scarecrow, Tin Man, Lion, Dorothy and her little dog Toto, as they journey through the magical land of Oz to meet the Wizard and obtain their hearts’ desires," according to press notes. "Watch out for the Wicked Witch of the West and her winged monkeys as you rediscover the real story of Oz in this fantastic musical treat for all the family."

Current tour dates follow:

Sept. 10 – 15, 2013 The Smith Center, Las Vegas, NV
Sept. 17 – Oct 6, 2013 Pantages Theatre, Los Angeles, CA
Oct. 9 – 13, 2013 Paramount Theatre, Seattle, WA
Dec. 4 – 29, 2013 The Ordway, St. Paul, MN
Dec. 31 – Jan 5., 2014 The Peace Center, Greenville, SC
Jan. 7 – 19, 2014 Broward Center, Ft. Lauderdale, FL
Jan. 21 – 26, 2014 Barbara B. Mann PAH, Ft. Myers, FL
Feb. 4 – 9, 2014 ASU Gammage, Tempe, AZ
Feb. 11 – 23, 2014 Segerstrom Center for the Arts, Costa Mesa, CA
Feb. 25 – March 2, 2014 Centennial Hall, Tucson, AZ
March 4 – 16, 2014 Hobby Center, Houston, TX
April 1 – 6, 2014 Walton Arts Center, Fayetteville, AR
April 8 – 13, 2014 Durham Performing Arts Center, Durham, NC
April 15 – 20, 2014 Ruth Eckerd Hall, Clearwater, FL
April 22 – 27, 2014 Devos Hall, Grand Rapids, MI
May 13 – 18, 2014 Fabulous Fox Theatre, St. Louis, MO
June 3 – 8, 2014 Academy of Music, Philadelphia, PA

For more information visit www.wizardofozthemusical.com.