The Wizard of Oz

The Wichita stage production of The Wiz debuts at Roxy’s Downtown next week.

The show is based on the classical musical fantasy The Wizard of Oz, but with an all-black cast and an R&B and jazz score.

The Wizard of Oz, considered one of the most viewed films of all time, turns 80 this year.

For the last 16 years, a tiny town in northeast Kansas has embraced the appeal of the MGM classic.

The Oz Museum, located downtown Wamego, draws 35,000 fans annually from all 50 states and 45 countries. It’s filled with all things Oz.

The Wichita Symphony will present Oz in Concert on Saturday, Dec. 8, at 7:30 p.m. in the Century II Concert Hall. The presentation will feature a live orchestral accompaniment to the 1939 classic film The Wizard of Oz. The digitally restored film will be shown on a screen hung above the orchestra. Peter Bay will serve as guest conductor for the event.

Oz the Great and Powerful is a fun movie not unworthy to be a successor-- as a prequel-- to the great MGM movie of 1939. It isn't as good as The Wizard of Oz, but what is?