The Wizard Of Oz: 1998 Cast Recording (Madison Square Garden Cast) [Cast Recording]

Eartha Kitt, Ken Page, Harold Arlen, Mickey Rooney, E. Y. Harburg

Product Details

• Audio CD (September 15, 1998)
• Original Release Date: September 15, 1998
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Cast Recording
• Label: Tvt
• ASIN: B00000DBWS
• Also Available in: Audio Cassette  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (17 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #17,318 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

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Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

How do you fill the ruby slippers of Judy Garland? That's a question, thankfully, only Jessica Grove needs to answer. It's difficult not to hear indelible tunes like "Over the Rainbow" and "We're Off to See the Wizard" without thinking way back to the MGM movie version of 1939, but this touring-cast production uses unique enough music arrangements to stand on its own. Though two stars grace the album's cover--Mickey Rooney as the Wizard and Eartha Kitt as the Wicked Witch of the West--the pair hardly overshadow the upstart cast. Dirk Lombard as the Tin Man, Judith McCauley as Glinda the Good Witch, and Grove herself all deliver inspired performances, and some of the tunes--especially the "Munchkinland" medley--sound superb and remarkably fresh. Judy Garland (for most of us) will always own the role of Dorothy, but this musical does its best to breathe new life into a classic story--60 years after the fact. --Jim Young

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Quite possibly the greatest Oz CD ever...., December 26, 2003

By A Customer

Thankfully, in 1998 the powers that be over at Madison Square Garden decided to record their version (a slightly altered Royal Shakespeare Company version) of THE WIZARD OF OZ and we should all be very thankful that they did. This CD is quite possibly the best recording of The Wizard of Oz to ever hit the shelves (or lack thereof).
As far as content is concerned, this CD is the reigning champ!!! Most of the dialogue has been retained in order to be able to fully appreciate the performances of Mickey Rooney (as the Wizard, The Guard, Professor Marvel, etc.) and Eartha Kitt (Miss Gultch and the ultra wicked yet, because of Kitt, incredibly sexy, Wicked Witch of the West). She even gets to sing!!! For over sixty years the Wicked Witch has been numberless, but now we get to hear her sing to Niko (her Flying Monkey) all about the wonders of the Jitterbug! The Jitterbug a song that was cut from the 1939 film is used in most stage productions and the involving of the Wicked Witch was an inspired decision. And of course we get to hear Eartha Kitt doing her purring and growling as well.
The music has been slightly re-orchestrated for this production to give it a fresh feel and it does so effortlessly. Another great reason to get this CD is because of Jessica Grove. Her performance as Dorothy is magical. Her voice is genuine and just the perfect match for the roll. She embraces the emotion of the Judy Garland interpretation, that we all love so much, and takes it to another level as only a great actress can. (Look for her name over the title of a Broadway show very soon!) Lara Teeter, Dirk Lambard and Ken Page (Old Deuteronomy in B'way's CATS) all deliver perfect interpretations of The Scarecrow, Tin Man and Cowardly Lion. This truly is an enjoyable listen.
England may have Cinderella or Peter Pan, but we've got THE WIZARD OF OZ! What a joy! As Mickey Rooney so happily narrates during the overture, this story has managed to touch our hearts for over a century. No doubt, it will continue to do so as the years pass.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A completely fun and beautiful version of The Wizard!, September 29, 1998

By	[e-mail] (Columbus, Ohio) - See all my reviews

This recording of the 1998 touring cast is supurb! It captures a young audience with a few new lyrics and songs (The Jitterbug), without losing reverence to the original songs. Dorothy, played by newcomer Jessica Grove, performs a rendition of Over the Rainbow that some have said is as good as, if not better than, Judy Garland. In any case, fans of The Wizard of Oz will be pleasantly surprised with the quality of the music and vocal performances. It's just plain fun!

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars GREAT, June 29, 2000

By	Robert Kinnear - See all my reviews

this cd was great. The singing was wonderfull. It almost had the whole performance on it. If your thinking againsed this cd, think again!