The Wizard of Oz (1902 musical)
The Wizard of Oz was a 1902 musical extravaganza based on "The Wonderful Wizard of Oz" by L. Frank Baum, which was originally published in 1900. Much of the original music was by Paul Tietjens and has been mostly forgotten, although it was still well-remembered and in discussion at MGM in 1939 when the classic film version of the story was made. Although Baum is the credited bookwriter, Glen MacDonough was hired on as jokewriter after Baum had finished the script.
The Wonderful Wizard of Oz (musical)
Joe Cascone, artistic director of the Toronto Civic Light Opera Company, had long wanted to stage a musical of "The Wonderful Wizard of Oz" that was truer to Baum's original intentions, and as such, was able to incorporate various influences from the many adaptations of the story produced throughout the 20th century, including the original 1903 musical, the famous 1939 MGM film, the musical "The Wiz" and several others. In writing the libretto for the new musical, Cascone made Baum a character in the play as a narrator, also doubling as the Wizard. Composer and lyricist James Patrick Doyle was a long time Oz admirer who restored some of the music from Baum's "The Maid of Arran", the 1902 "Wizard", "The Woggle-Bug", "The Tik-Tok Man of Oz", "Prince Silverwings", and "The Patchwork Girl of Oz", which had not been heard in recent decades. The production premiered in 2000 at the Toronto Civic Light Opera Company, directed by Cascone with choreography by Lesley Ansell. Two original cast albums were released. One by Hungry Tiger Music in 2000, and one by The Civic Light Opera Company in 2002, featuring the revised score.