Oz in the News 6.19.24

A Dress That Needs Its Own Car: Behind the Making of Glinda’s Dress in The Wiz

The revival of The Wiz launched a national tour before its historic return to Broadway. Davis found it important to bring this sense of wonder directly to Black audiences, which also meant there needed to be a plan on how to transport Glinda’s dress. 

Actress Deborah Cox admits there was some quirky complexities to make sure the dress was protected. “Every time we have to do something press wise, the costume gets a plane seat, the costume gets its own car, its own dressing room because it’s so delicate,” laughs Cox. “We try as a company to make sure that it’s always intact because it’s one of a kind.”

Costume Designer Sharon Davis jumps in to describe how the dress was stored as it was transported across the country: “Every night the skirt hangs upside down so that the ruffles don’t get too heavy. We had to wrap the jacket and give it a lot of space. It was like a science project.”

Davis also reminisced on the pride she felt touring with the production and sharing The Wiz to Black audiences across the nation. “There are people who can’t afford to come to New York in the Black culture. It was so great to see predominantly Black audiences in Atlanta, Chicago, Los Angeles so people have the opportunity to see the show before it opens on Broadway,” says Davis. “We brought it to our own people first.”

Help Local Artist Recreate Burnsville NC’s Wizard Of Oz Mural

The original Wizard of Oz Yellow Brick Road mural was painted by local artist Rhea Ormond in 2008 on the building occupied by Something Special Gift Shop/Monkey Business Toy Store located at Academy Street and West Main Street in Burnsville, NC.

The original mural was peeling badly because it had been painted over decades of advertising signs. It was decided to have the brick sandblasted to create a new surface for Rhea to start the process of bringing the beloved mural of Dorothy, the Tin Man, the Scarecrow and the Lion back to life. While an exact reproduction of the original would be impossible there may be some surprises to look forward to in the new version!

Help with the costs by going here: https://www.gofundme.com/f/help-recreate-the-wizard-of-oz-mural

Oz in the News 4.15.24

I’m the Banksy copycat! Comedian Joe Lycett reveals he was behind Wizard of Oz-themed mural that appeared in Birmingham street

Comedian Joe Lycett has admitted he was behind a Wizard of Oz-themed artwork in Birmingham that was compared to works by Banksy – one of several fake news stories he planted in the media in recent weeks.

The 35-year-old comic says the false Dorothy was one of a number of untrue tales he managed to sneak into several established media outlets in recent weeks. 

Speculation about the authorship of the piece – which appeared to mimic Banksy’s style of integrating their artwork into the surrounding environment – even forced the artist’s spokesperson to issue a blunt denial they were responsible.

Lycett revealed his trickery on his new series of Late Night Lycett on Channel 4 on Friday night.

He said he planted the Banksy story, as well as three other fake new stories, to take up space in the media that would otherwise have been used to ‘spread hate, misery and pictures of Amanda Holden‘.