James Franco will play the young wizard in Oz The Great and Powerful, a feature film from Walt Disney Pictures that began production on July 25th 2011, directed by Sam Raimi. Oz The Great and Powerful is a prequel to The Wonderful Wizard of Oz (1900) by L. Frank Baum, with a script co-written by David Lindsay-Abaire and Mitchell Kapner. The story is told from the point of view of the Wizard, telling how the Wizard arrived in Oz and how he became the ruler. The all-star cast of the film includes Zach Braff as Franco’s assistant, Mila Kunis as the witch Theodora, Rachel Weisz as Kunis’ sister Evanora and Michelle Williams as Glinda the Good Witch. The film is due to be released through Disney Studios Motion Pictures on March 8th, 2013. When Oscar Diggs, a small-time circus magician is blown off course from Kansas to the land of Oz, he thinks he has made the big time. Then he meets three witches who don’t think he is the great wizard everyone has been expecting. Finding out who is good and who is bad helps Oscar Diggs become the great and powerful Wizard of Oz

The Wizard of Oz is such a classic musical for any theatre company to put on that is stands to reason there will be a production of some sort current at almost any time of year. From June 1st Wales’ leading amateur theatre company, Orbit, celebrates its 41st year with the opening night of a week-long run of its own version of The Wizard of Oz at the New Theatre in Cardiff.
Dorothy is sung by Nicola Caldwell and the Wales Online reporter Dave Owens spoke to her about the role: Nicola Caldwell: I’m 22 years old, I come from Penarth and I’ve just qualified from university as a primary school teacher. Probably the biggest role I’ve done is Les Miserables in London’s West End for the 20th anniversary, which was fantastic. They chose 3,000 kids under 18 to apply, I was 17 at the time, and had done a school edition of the show. Out of the 3,000 who auditioned and sent tapes off, 35 got in. And I was one of the lucky ones! It’s every little girl’s dream, to play Dorothy, isn’t it, to wear the red ruby slippers and sing Over The Rainbow? It’s such an honour. It’s the archetypal dream role.

On the runner-up, Welsh girl Sophie Evans, and the winner, Danielle Hope? Nicola: Actually I liked the girl who finished third, Lauren Samuels. She was my favourite. She was really bubbly and very magnanimous and gracious when she went out. The Wizard of Oz is showing at the New Theatre in Cardiff from 1st 5th June Orbit Theatre

Wizard of Oz – Orbit Theatre Company

By L. FRANK BAUM With Music and Lyrics of the MGM motion picture score by HAROLD ARLEN and E.Y. HARBURG Background Music by HERBERT STOTHART Book Adaptation by JOHN KANE from the motion picture screenplay Tuesday 1st to Saturday 5th June 2010 New Theatre Park Place Cardiff Book Online via The New Theatre, Cardiff