ML - Vegas Magazine

2013 - Issue 5 - September

Vegas Magazine - Niche Media - There is a place beyond the crowds, beyond the ropes, where dreams are realized and success is celebrated. You are invited.

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HOTTEST TICKET She's definitely not in Kansas anymore: Dorothy and friends land in Vegas. We're Off to See… T he yellow brick road leads right to Las Vegas—at least temporarily. Andrew Lloyd Webber, the acclaimed composer of The Phantom of the Opera, Evita, and many other hit musicals, will send Dorothy and her companions in the Canadian production of The Wizard of Oz on a cross-country US tour that begins at the Smith Center for the Performing Arts, September 10 –15. Running through next July, the tour features an all-Canadian cast, including Danielle Wade, who won the role of Dorothy on the Canadian talent show Over the Rainbow, and Lisa Horner, who'll be stepping into the shoes of the Wicked Witch of the West. "Las Vegas is such an awesome place to start a tour like this, to begin something," says Wade. "It's such a vibrant city, and the show is pretty vibrant itself, so I feel like they fit well together." Adapted for the stage from the screenplay of the classic 1939 MGM musical, the show stays fairly close to the iconic film, with familiar lines and recognizable dance moments straight from the movie. There is some all-new choreography for the Witch, as well as a few new musical numbers, written by Webber and Oscar-, Tony-, and Grammy-winning lyricist Tim Rice. According to choreographer Arlene Phillips, the songs were added so that Glinda, the Wizard, and the Wicked Witch would all have solo numbers, such as Glinda's moving ballad "Already Home" and the Witch's "Red Shoes Blues." "It's very emotional, a life-or-death situation for her at the end," Wade says of the Witch. "It goes from one extreme to the other within seconds." Transporting the Vegas audience to the Emerald City will be an awardwinning creative team from Great Britain. "The costumes certainly reflect the reality of Kansas farm life in the mid-20th century, but Munchkinland and Emerald City are a creation of the director's and the designer's imaginations," says Madeline Paul, the show's associate director. "Glinda's dress is indeed a sparkling creation, covered in Swarovski crystals, as are Dorothy's ruby slippers. Most actors apply their own makeup, but the Wicked Witch and Glinda are attended to by makeup artists, then wigs are donned, and finally the costumes." Naturally, an adorable Cairn terrier plays Toto, and as in any live production using real animals, there's bound to be an unscripted moment or two. "There are moments in there for everybody, whether they be serious or comedic," Wade says. "It's really fun. It's bright and colorful, and you'll know all the songs, plus the extra couple from Webber. The songs are so catchy and so well-known that we wanted to keep the integrity." For tickets, visit thesmithcenter.com. V PHOTOGRAPHY BY CYLLA VON TIEDEMANN THE CANADIAN PRODUCTION OF THE WIZARD OF OZ KICKS OFF ITS US TOUR BY CLICKING ITS SPARKLY HEELS IN SIN CITY. BY ANDREA CORRAL 76 VEGASMAGAZINE.COM 076_V_SC_HT_Wizard_Sept13.indd 76 8/5/13 7:54 PM

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