The Magical Land of Oz

Updated on: Saturday, September 24, 2011

Frank Baum’s children’s classic came alive at the Satyajit Ray Auditorium, RTC, ICCR, on September 21 thanks to The Wizard of Oz Show, an interactive programme for kids, directed by Brian and Christerine Laul of Youngsters2.com with the support of the Australia-India Council. The city was the first to host, what is considered as ‘one of Australia’s top children’s shows’, following which the show will travel to Delhi and Chennai. The cast and crew of the programme also interacted with the students of Loreto House and Day School in a fun workshop conducted prior to the show.

With over 3000 international performances, the show provides infotainment to young kids and promotes theatre for children by engaging the audience into the act. The kids participated in rapping with Shiney the Tinman, attempted to wake up Shakey the Scarecrow and traveled down the Yellow Brick Road to the magical land of Oz with Dorothy.

Brian Laul, director said, “There has been no contemporary take on the timeless children’s classic until now. So, we decided to rewrite it for the kids of today. Musically, the show is very contemporary as the Tinman raps, the Lion sings blues, the Wicked Witch of the West plays the guitar and the scarecrow is a country singer. By interacting with the kids, we help them embark on an adventure and instill confidence in them to feel self-empowered. We have also woven in the theme of friendship and the need to appreciate art.”

The Wizard of Oz Show’s tour of India has been brought about through the support of the Australia-India Council and with the aid of Amit Dasgupta, consul general for India, Sydney. “The Council believes that art helps to strengthen bonds of friendship. The show has been a wonderful platform to promote children’s theatre and facilitate better communication channels. ICCR has been instrumental in bringing the show to the city,” added Laul.

The visually vibrant mode of storytelling was the definitive feature of the show; it was an experimental endeavour to fuel the imaginative spirit in the kids by involving them within the thematic structure of the show. The musical extravaganza was an ode to a classic that we have grown up with.

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