Tim Rice to Re-Team with Lloyd Webber on OZ?

Whatsonstage.com is reporting that famed lyricist Tim Rice may be revisiting an old partnership with Andrew Lloyd Webber for the upcoming West End production of The Wizard of Oz.  The production found its Dorothy last week via the BBC talent show Over The Rainbow, casting Danielle Hope in the role that Judy Garland has made famous.

According to Whatsonstage.com, Rice recently said in a BBC Radio interview, that he would "likely" be coming on board to collaborate with Lloyd Webber on for new songs he is writing for the new stage incarnation.  Rice and Webber have previously produced Evita, Jesus Christ Superstar, and Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat.

As for the show's star, cccording to the official web site for Over the Rainbow, "Danielle is a full-time student in Knutsford, and recently quit her part time job as a waitress to focus on her studies and her dream of becoming a renowned entertainer and Broadway performer.

Her big passion is drama, but she has danced in front of large audiences at local dance festivals, including BBC African Dance Project at Bridgewater Hall, and the Dance House Annual Cheshire Platform. Danielle takes dance classes at least six times a week to hone her skills.

Her Dorothy would be a "fiery character, with a strong opinion and mind"."

Tickets went on sale in early May for Andrew Lloyd Webber's much anticipated West End adaptation of The Wizard of Oz. There'll be no place like The London Palladium, the capital's home of the family musical, where the brand new show will premiere in early 2011, with tickets on sale for performances from 29th March 2011.

Developed from the ever popular 1939 MGM screenplay, The Wizard of Oz is an enchanting adaptation of the all time classic, totally reconceived for the stage by the award-winning creative team who delighted audiences of all ages with their recent London Palladium revival of The Sound of Music. This new production contains all the much-loved songs from the Oscar winning movie score including; Somewhere Over the Rainbow, Follow the Yellow Brick Road, If I Only Had a Heart and We're Off to See the Wizard. All the favourite characters and iconic moments will be there, plus a few surprises along the way - not just "lions and tigers and bears" but some new songs by Andrew Lloyd Webber adding extra colour to the story as it moves from film to stage. The entire family will be captivated as The London Palladium is transformed into the mythical Emerald City with breathtaking special effects and scenery to re-tell the real story of Oz.

The London Palladium, arguably the world's most famous theatre, is a great favourite with performers and audiences alike and has a very rich entertainment history presenting variety, pantomime and spectacular family musicals. Just one aspect of the elaborate stage design for The Wizard of Oz will be a restoration of the legendary revolving stage which was the main feature in the finale of Television's Sunday Night at the London Palladium.

Andrew Lloyd Webber said, "We are incredibly excited to be adapting The Wizard of Oz for the stage and re-telling this all time classic family story. I have long been a huge fan of the original movie, the songs and characters and am really looking forward to bringing it to life again."

Click your heels together and join Scarecrow, Tin Man, Lion, Dorothy and her little dog Toto, as they journey through the magical land, helped and hindered by the Witches of Oz, to meet the Wizard and obtain their heart's desires.

Performances of The Wizard of Oz at The London Palladium will be Wednesday - Saturday at 7.30pm, Tuesday at 7pm, with matinees on Wednesday and Saturday at 2.30pm and Sunday at 3pm. Tickets, priced from £25.00 - £62.50 (to include 75p theatre restoration levy and inclusive of booking fees if booked through the website or phone number), are available from The London Palladium Box Office on 0844 412 2957 or online from www.wizardofozthemusical.com.