Michael Crawford to Return to West End as the Wizard in THE WIZARD OF OZ

It's just been announced in the UK Daily Telegraph that Michael Crawford will return to the West End Stage starring as 'The Wizard' in Andrew Lloyd Webber's new production of THE WIZARD OF OZ. 

February 2011 will see the start of previews for Andrew Lloyd Webber's spectacular new production of The Wizard of Oz at the London Palladium (currently home to the London production of SISTER ACT).

Talking to the UK Daily Telegraph, Crawford said that "I've been fortunate working with Andrew before so I thought there was no harm in trying again. We're all very excited about the show. It's a slightly different interpretation of the story and we are sort of developing our own character of the Wizard. He's quite a craft character. He was played by Frank Morgan very successfully in the film so I've got a lot to live up to.

I start rehearsals in December when I'll find out what I look like with the make-up and the costumes. It's not like a film, where you've got time to change, so you've got to use a little more imagination so that characters can evolve from one to another very quickly and so deceive the audience."

Follow the yellow brick road over the rainbow to see Danielle Hope, winner of BBC TV's Over the Rainbow, play Dorothy at The London Palladium, the capital's home of the family musical.

Andrew Lloyd Webber's new production of The Wizard of Oz is an enchanting adaptation of the all time classic, totally reconceived for the stage by the award-winning creative team that delighted audiences of all ages with their recent London Palladium revival of The Sound of Music.

Developed from the ever popular MGM screenplay this new production contains all the much-loved songs from the Oscar winning movie score, all the favourite characters and iconic moments, plus a few surprises along the way, including new songs by Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice.

Click your heels together and join Scarecrow, Tin Man, Lion, Dorothy and her little dog Toto, as they journey through the magical land of Oz to meet the Wizard and obtain their heart's desires. Watch out for the Wicked Witch of the West and her winged monkeys as you rediscover the real story of Oz in this fantastic musical treat for all the family.

Click here for more information on the show. 

Juggling both film and stage careers, Michael Crawford had established himself as one of London's finest leading men long before he opened as "the Phantom" in Andrew Lloyd Webber's THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA, beginning one of the most widely acclaimed and memorable performances in theatre history. Few stars are as widely connected to a single role as Crawford is to "the Phantom." His Los Angeles and Broadway performances earned an astonishing catalogue of critical recognition including the Tony, Drama Desk and Outer Critics Circle Awards, and the Los Angeles Dramalogue Award and Drama Critics Award.

Since leaving PHANTOM after nearly four years in the role in London, New York and Los Angeles; Crawford has become a multi-platinum recording artist and one of the world's most sought after concert and stage performers, playing to sold-out venues around the globe. In addition to his recent concert work, stage credits in London and on Broadway include Billy, Flowers for Algernon, Black Comedy, Dance of the Vampires, The Woman in White, and Barnum.