\ud83c\udfad NEW! Los Angeles Theatre Newsletter<\/p>\n
![\"Review:](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/260420_oz_bucket-37-8661.jpg\" "\\"Review:")
\nThe Muse\/Ique Orchestra
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Of course, it\u2019s not just the book series and the movie: Disney made a belated, misguided sequel in 1985 called \u201cReturn to Oz\u201d; there was an animated TV special of the same name in 1964; there have been stage versions, including the \u201970s Broadway sensation \u201cThe Wiz\u201d; there have been graphic novels and miniseries, spinoffs and merchandising, awards and acclaim, not to mention the literary offshoots by Gregory Maguire<\/a> and the musical (stage and cinema) adaptations of his novel, \u201cWicked.\u201d Even The Muppets<\/a> got involved back in 2005! All of that is to say, Baum\u2019s stories are part of our fabric and have been for generations and will be for any foreseeable generations as well.<\/p>\n Now, MUSE\/IQUE, a nonprofit performing arts collective, has launched an affectionate and informative revue called\u00a0BACK TO OZ: FROM THE WONDERFUL WIZARD TO THE WIZ, TO WICKED: AN AMERICAN FAIRY TALE, incorporating moments and memories from countless Oz stories and adaptations. Conducted by artistic and music director Rachael Worby, the show weaves a colorful tapestry of music, humor, and history. While reinterpreting classic songs \u2014 like a jazzy version of \u201cDing-Dong! The Witch Is Dead\u201d and a haunting take on Elton John<\/a>\u2019s Top 10 hit \u201cGoodbye Yellow Brick Road\u201d \u2014 Worby also takes us down that Yellow Brick Road starting with the original novel and takes us right to the Emerald City with songs from \u201cWicked,\u201d revealing tidbits that most of us don\u2019t know. For example: \u201cOver the Rainbow\u201d was birthed through another popular Yip Harburg<\/a> and Harold Arlen<\/a> tune, \u201cPaper Moon.\u201d The origination of the name Elphaba for Maguire\u2019s novels: It\u2019s an homage to L. Frank Baum<\/a>, using syllables from his three names. The tuba played in the orchestra is the same one that was used in the 1938 scoring of \u201cThe Wizard of Oz.\u201d Worby is a marvelous speaker, spinning her tales warmly like they\u2019re bedtime stories.<\/p>\n She\u2019s supported by fantastic lead singers Carmen Cusack<\/a>, LaVance Colley<\/a>, Nathan Granner<\/a>, the DC6 Singers Collective (an LA-based ensemble), and the MUSE\/IQUE Orchestra, all of which carry more than their weight even if the DC6 are underutilized. Not all the reinterpretations work as well as others. \u201cIf I Only Had a Brain\u201d is a little too dirge like, and there is some over-singing that overshadows some of the songwriting. But those are quibbles when most of the night is a wonderful affair, electric with nostalgia, wonder, and joy. The energy from the performers is infectious, translating to the audience, and even though there is a vein of wistfulness running through the night \u2014 the story is, after all, about searching for one\u2019s home \u2014 it\u2019s a pleasantly sweet pang of yearning. BACK TO OZ is a worthy entry in the legendary history of the Oz story.<\/p>\n Photo credit Haoyuan Ren, courtesy of MUSE\/IQUE<\/p>\n BACK TO OZ played at the Mark Taper Forum, 135 N. Grand Avenue, through April 26. Tickets are available at muse-ique.com.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Reader Reviews<\/p>\n To post a comment, you must register<\/a> and login<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"\ud83c\udfad NEW! Los Angeles Theatre Newsletter Get all the top news & discounts for Los Angeles & beyond.…\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":760447,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5123],"tags":[1582,276,2961,224,5337],"class_list":{"0":"post-760446","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-los-angeles","8":"tag-ca","9":"tag-california","10":"tag-la","11":"tag-los-angeles","12":"tag-losangeles"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@us\/116485915989060012","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/760446","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=760446"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/760446\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/760447"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=760446"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=760446"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=760446"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}![\"Review:](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/260420_oz_bucket-42-7675.jpg\" "\\"Review:")
\nConductor Rachael Worby
\nand singers LaVance Colley<\/a>
\nand Carmen Cusack<\/a>
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