Sydney Welcomes THE WIZARD OF OZ with Star-Studded Premiere

The world's favourite musical, The Wizard of Oz, has finally arrived in Sydney and will celebrate with a star-studded premiere at the Capitol Theatre tomorrow night. Producers John Frost and Suzanne Jones are thrilled Sydney audiences will finally experience the 2011 London Palladium production of Andrew Lloyd Webber's The Wizard of Oz. With many performances already sold out and the season closing on February 4, Sydney audiences need to get in quick to catch this majestic production.

Walking the 'Yellow Brick Road' carpet at the Gala Opening Night on Thursday 4 January will be a host of celebrities including Barry Humphries, Marcia Hines, John Paul Young, Miranda Otto and family, Danielle Spencer and family, Paulini Curunavuli, Georgie Parker, Todd McKenney, Andrew O'Keefe, Tim Gilbert and family, Deborah Knight and family, Emma 'Yellow Wiggle' Watkins and husband Lachlan 'Purple Wiggle' Gillespie, KIIS FM's Jackie O, Kerri-Anne Kennerley, the Real Housewives of Sydney plus many more.

Leading The Wizard of Oz cast are Anthony Warlow as The Wizard and Professor Marvel, Lucy Durack as Glinda the Good Witch and Jemma Rix as The Wicked Witch of the West. Rising star Samantha Dodemaide plays the coveted role of Dorothy, her first leading role in a major musical. Eli Cooper plays the role of the Scarecrow, Alex Rathgeber plays the Tin Man, and John Xintavelonis plays the Lion. The ensemble cast includes Paul Hanlon as Uncle Henry and Sophie Weiss as Auntie Em, alongside Justin Anderson, Sheridan Anderson, Lewis Beer, Shay Debney, Sage Douglas, Mikey Halcrow, Zoe Ioannou, Bree Langridge, Rubin Matters, Scott Morris, Justine Puy, Michael Roache, Mitchell Roberts, Emma Russell, Dean Schulz, Darren Tyler, Caleb Vines, Stephanie Wall and Rachael Ward.

The London Palladium production of Andrew Lloyd Webber's The Wizard of Oz had its Australian Premiere in Brisbane at the Lyric Theatre, QPAC late last year and will head to the Festival Theatre, Adelaide from 3 April; and the Regent Theatre, Melbourne, from 15 May.

Developed from the ever-popular MGM screenplay, the London Palladium production of The Wizard of Oz contains the beloved Harold Arlen and E.Y. Harburg songs from the Oscar-winning movie score, all the favorite characters and iconic moments, plus a few surprises along the way, including new songs by Tim Rice and Andrew Lloyd Webber.

Andrew Lloyd Webber's new production of The Wizard of Oz had its world premiere at The London Palladium Theatre in March 2011. After a successful West End run, the production had its North American premiere in Toronto in December 2012, and then embarked on a US tour from September 2013. The production boasts a stellar creative team: Jeremy Sams (direction), Robert Jones (set and costume design), Arlene Phillips (choreography), Hugh Vanstone (lighting design), Mick Potter (sound design), Jon Driscoll & Daniel Brodie (video/projection design), David Cullen (orchestrations) and Guy Simpson (musical supervision).

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 hearts' 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 the whole family.

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Venue Capitol Theatre, Campbell Street, Haymarket

Season Until 4 February

Performance Times Tues-Sat 7.30pm, Matinees Tues & Wed 1pm, Sat 2pm, Sun 1pm*

Prices: From $49.90**

Bookings: ticketmaster.com.au or 1300 795 267

Groups 12+ call 1300 889 278

* Performance times vary weekly ** Transaction fees apply

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