Description
Vintage Recordings from the 1903 Broadway Musical THE WIZARD OF OZ
Nominated “Best Historical Album” 2003 GRAMMY AWARDS!
Vintage Recordings from the 1903 Broadway Musical
The Wizard of Oz
Introduction, Synopsis, Lyrics, Performance History, and Recording Details!
A Collection of Vintage Recordings from
Wax Cylinders, 78s, Piano Rolls,
and Music Boxes from 1902-1918
Two CD Set
Over 145 Minutes of Music
Dozens of Photos
Two 32 Page Booklets
Bonus Tracks from The Woggle-Bug, The Tik-Tok Man of Oz, and original cast members Montgomery and Stone and Bessie Wynn.
The Wizard of Oz, a musical with book and lyrics by L. Frank Baum and music by Paul Tietjens, premiered on June 16, 1902, at the Grand Opera House in Chicago. It was an instant hit and made stars of David Montgomery (the Tin Woodman) and Fred Stone (the Scarecrow). On January 21, 1903, the show opened at the Majestic Theatre in New York City. It ran for nine months, then set out on the road with a second company right on its heels. The show toured, came back to New York, toured, and returned to New York again many times until finally disbanding around 1911. Stock and amateur companies continued to present it into the 1930s when it was overshadowed by the classic MGM film starring Judy Garland.
The show was legendary for its success and its impact on American culture. It was the Cats or Les Mis of the early 1900s–but the show has been swallowed by history. What made audiences of the early 1900s devour the show and return for more again and again?
In this unprecedented 2-CD set—featuring over 145 minutes of vintage recordings and 64 pages of lyrics, photos, notes, and synopsis—you can discover how The Wizard of Oz entertained the American public for the first two decades of the 20th century. And like the audiences of a hundred years ago, you can hum along to “Budweiser,” “Sammy,” and “Hurrah for Baffin’s Bay”—everyone’s favorite songs from The Wizard of Oz!
Also included in this comprehensive collection are recordings from later Oz musicals, The Woggle-Bug and The Tik-Tok Man of Oz, written by Oz creator L. Frank Baum, as well as vintage non-Oz recordings by original Wizard of Oz stars Montgomery & Stone and Bessie Wynn.
“Impeccably researched, illustrated and produced. A terrific job, which raises the standard bar for archival reconstruction from 78s and cylinders. The annotated booklet is superb and authoritative. For students, scholars or musical theatre enthusiasts, the CD set of 1903’s The Wizard of Oz is a fascinating immersion into the lost world of musical theatre from 100 years ago. It is a ‘must have’ CD set.”
–Richard C. Norton
Author of A CHRONOLOGY OF AMERICAN MUSICAL THEATER
“Here is a delightful collection of the sounds and nonsense of very early musical theater, made all the more fascinating and informative by the notes and photographs David Maxine has provided. Grab it!”
–Gerald Bordman
Author of AMERICAN MUSICAL THEATRE: A CHRONICLE
