There’s no place like La Boite during Brisbane Festival when acclaimed performance company The Danger Ensemble takes audiences on a whirlwind adventure with The Wizard of Oz at La Boite’s Roundhouse Theatre for a limited season.
A co-production between La Boite, Brisbane Festival and The Danger Ensemble, this World Premiere adaptation of The Wizard of Oz by Maxine Mellor and the company will be anything but the trip down the yellow brick road we’re accustomed to.
Drawing inspiration from L. Frank Baum’s original novels and the famous 1939 film starring Judy Garland, The Wizard of Oz tells the story of ‘Judy G’, an Aussie diva who dreams of being lifted up and out of her caravan park to be reunited with her beloved Oz.
Director Steven Mitchell Wright envisions a fantastical world of couture-clad witches and bondage-bound munchkins, in a land where high-fashion visual art show meets Australiana in an explosion of glitter, glory, and goddamn rainbows, guaranteeing one thing – we’re certainly not in Kansas anymore.
“Our Oz is as much a reaction to it as it is an exploration of it, it’s about wanting things we can’t have. If all you dreamed of your whole life was getting over the rainbow and you did it, would you really come home?” asks Mitchell Wright.
“Yes, there’s a yellow brick road and a cowardly lion, it’s about guts, brains and heart… but they’ll be spilled all over the stage.”
La Boite Artistic Director David Berthold said the show was bound to be a highlight of the company’s season, and a standout of this year’s Brisbane Festival.
“The Danger Ensemble enjoyed great success with The Hamlet Apocalypse and Children of War as part of La Boite Indie,” said Mr Berthold. “It’s wonderful to have them feature in our mainhouse season with such a bold new work.”
Director: Steven Mitchell Wright Cast: Chris Beckey, Margi Brown Ash, Caroline Dunphy, Thomas Hutchins, Lucy-Ann Langkilde, Thomas Larkin, Polly Sara Set and Costume Designer: Simone Romaniuk Lighting Designer: Ben Hughes Composer & Sound Designer: Dane Alexander Assistant Director: Stephen Quinn Adaption: Maxine Mellor & the company
The Wizard of Oz
Roundhouse Theatre – Musk Avenue, Kelvin Grove
Season: 7 – 28 September 2013
Bookings: (07) 3007 8600 or online at: www.laboite.com.au
For more information, visit: www.laboite.com.au for details
