T. Craft and Ryan Bunch are teaming up at TeslaCon with their own unique look at songs from Oz musicals. From the memorable to the forgotten, you are sure to be intrigued by the sheer variety of songs that have brought Oz to life—and by the stories behind them.
It’s kind of their thing. Ryan wrote Oz and the Musical: Performing the American Fairy Tale as his PhD thesis. And T. has been performing in and staging musicals since she was a child, with an emphasis on revivals of the earliest Oz productions.
Just how early is that? In 1902 Dorothy took her first steps on stage and Oz, as an American musical, was born. Encouraged by critics and audiences alike, the trial run in Chicago, moved to Broadway where The Wizard of Oz became a theatrical sensation. The musical extravaganza ran for 293 performances. Multiple traveling companies kept it on the road through 1909.
Baum wrote two other Oz musicals before turning his interest to silent films. But Oz musicals didn’t stop.
Through the years Broadway and films have revisited Oz to make all kinds of musical magic. The 1939 film by Metro Goldwyn Meyer offered a song-filled show topped with “Over the Rainbow”—since named the Song the Century by the Recording Industry Association of America and the National Endowment for the Arts.
While we can’t sing ‘em all and stay all night, T and Ryan can take us on a tour of highlights. Expect a fun and fascinating program of memorable songs, choruses, and musical moments that have helped make Oz a beloved American classic.
T. is the Artistic Director at Offsite Connecticut Theatre. As well as the writer of the musicals: “The Wonderful Wizard of Oz – A Psych Rock Movie” and “Phantom of the Opera – A New Musical.” T. has also revived classic musical works of the 1800s and early 1900s with Golden Age Theatricals, for which she has been interviewed on “It’s Free IP!,” and lectured on the topic at events including CharlOz & The Raggedy Ann Rally.
Ryan Bunch, as we’ve shared on this blog before, currently serves as President of the International Wizard of Oz Club.