The Wizard of Oz in Concert: Dreams Come True
A starry concert version of the MGM film starring Jewel, Natalie Cole, Debra Winger, Jackson Browne, Roger Daltrey, Nathan Lane, Joel Grey, Phoebe Snow, Ronnie Spector, and The Harlem Boys Choir. Filmed live at Avery Fisher Hall in NYC in November 1995, and broadcast a few weeks later on TNT throughout the United States.
Where to watch
theatrical history
The Wizard of Oz in Concert: Dreams Come True was a special one-night-only benefit for the Children’s Defense Fund.
Based on the 1939 MGM film of The Wizard of Oz, the concert was conceived by Darrell Larsen, an actor and director. The film is described by the American Film Institute (AFI) as “Perhaps the most famous and best loved family film ever made.” The musical is listed third on the AFI’s Top 100 Musicals (behind Singin’ in the Rain and West Side Story), and “Somewhere Over the Rainbow” is the number one song on the AFI’s Top 100 Songs list.
Larsen hoped the concert would provide “a fresh view” of The Wizard of Oz —“We’re not doing a lot of contemporizing or hip-hopping of it, but putting it in the context of something that will be both fresh and familiar.”
As announced in press for the concert, all proceeds from the live concert, advertising, VHS and CD sales were to be donated to the Children’s Defense Fund.
Hillary Clinton, then First Lady of the United States, was announced as the event’s honorary chair.
The concert took place at Lincoln Center’s Avery Fisher Hall on November 5, 1995.
Directed by Darrell Larsen, the concert featured a starry cast including Jewel (Dorothy Gale), Natalie Cole (Glinda the Good Witch), Debra Winger (Wicked Witch of the West), Jackson Browne (Scarecrow), Roger Daltrey (Tinman), Nathan Lane (Lion), Joel Grey (Narrator/The Wizard), Phoebe Snow (Soloist), Ronnie Spector (Soloist) and The Harlem Boys Choir. The ensemble included Julia Murney (billed as Julia K. Murney) who would later go on to play Elphaba in Wicked on Broadway.
The concert was filmed live and later broadcast on TNT and released on VHS (see Film History below).
Based on the 1939 MGM film of The Wizard of Oz, the concert was conceived by Darrell Larsen, an actor and director. The film is described by the American Film Institute (AFI) as “Perhaps the most famous and best loved family film ever made.” The musical is listed third on the AFI’s Top 100 Musicals (behind Singin’ in the Rain and West Side Story), and “Somewhere Over the Rainbow” is the number one song on the AFI’s Top 100 Songs list.
Larsen hoped the concert would provide “a fresh view” of The Wizard of Oz —“We’re not doing a lot of contemporizing or hip-hopping of it, but putting it in the context of something that will be both fresh and familiar.”
As announced in press for the concert, all proceeds from the live concert, advertising, VHS and CD sales were to be donated to the Children’s Defense Fund.
Hillary Clinton, then First Lady of the United States, was announced as the event’s honorary chair.
The concert took place at Lincoln Center’s Avery Fisher Hall on November 5, 1995.
Directed by Darrell Larsen, the concert featured a starry cast including Jewel (Dorothy Gale), Natalie Cole (Glinda the Good Witch), Debra Winger (Wicked Witch of the West), Jackson Browne (Scarecrow), Roger Daltrey (Tinman), Nathan Lane (Lion), Joel Grey (Narrator/The Wizard), Phoebe Snow (Soloist), Ronnie Spector (Soloist) and The Harlem Boys Choir. The ensemble included Julia Murney (billed as Julia K. Murney) who would later go on to play Elphaba in Wicked on Broadway.
The concert was filmed live and later broadcast on TNT and released on VHS (see Film History below).
Film history
The Wizard of Oz in Concert: Dreams Come True was broadcast on TNT on November 19, 1995, and received repeat airings into December. The broadcast included behind-the-scenes rehearsal footage, and short interviews with various cast members.
The televised concert received lackluster reviews, with critics feeling the performances were not up to scratch, though Nathan Lane generally received praise for his turn as the Cowardly Lion. Ultimately, critics felt the concert wasn’t a replacement for the 1939 MGM film.
New York Times television critic John J. O’Connor felt that with the 1939 MGM film readily available, there “wasn’t much need for a somewhat messy concert rendition.” With the static nature of the music stands and “clunky stage microphones,” O’Connor found the concert set-up limiting, though praised the “smart” use of the Boys Choir of Harlem. The “grab-bag cast” received mixed reviews, and O’Connor concluded the concert was “Hardly memorable, but pleasantly diverting.”
In a review for The Indianapolis News, Steve Hall praised the concert for utilizing “the entire score,” and Nathan Lane’s portrayal of the Cowardly Lion. Hall was less enamored with Jackson Browne and Roger Daltry stating that they were miscast as the Scarecrow and Tin Man respectively. Hall also noted that while Jewel didn’t quite live up to Judy Garland, Jewel’s “earthier, country-music style voice” added a “homier” element to the iconic “Somewhere Over the Rainbow.”
Writing for The Christian Science Monitor, Frank Scheck stated “The musical production is highly uneven, but there are many delightful moments and an overall feeling of fun pervades.” Scheck praised the performances of Natalie Cole, Roger Daltrey, and especially Nathan Lane — “It takes a strong Broadway performer… to inject some life into the show…” — but had serious reservations about Jackson Browne’s “pallid, mumbled folk-rock” rendition of “If I Only Had a Brain.”
Sharon Johnson, writing for Harrisburg’s The Patriot News, was more enthusiastic stating “Country, rock, and R&B meet Hollywood and Broadway in this unexpectedly successful semi-staged beautifully sung production.” Johnson concluded “The stellar cast gives this old favorite a new lease on life.”
In an article reprinted in California’s Turlock Journal, Mike Duffy had reservations about the Jackson Browne, “the production’s notable weak link”, but described the concert as a “delightful Thanksgiving treat – sure to charm any daydream believer who has ever skipped down the Yellow Brick Road…” and noted that the production gave the movie “a classy, imaginative twirl for the whole family.”
The Wizard of Oz in Concert: Dreams Come True was released on VHS by Turner Home Entertainment. A cast recording was also released on CD.
The Wizard of Oz in Concert is currently available on YouTube.
The televised concert received lackluster reviews, with critics feeling the performances were not up to scratch, though Nathan Lane generally received praise for his turn as the Cowardly Lion. Ultimately, critics felt the concert wasn’t a replacement for the 1939 MGM film.
New York Times television critic John J. O’Connor felt that with the 1939 MGM film readily available, there “wasn’t much need for a somewhat messy concert rendition.” With the static nature of the music stands and “clunky stage microphones,” O’Connor found the concert set-up limiting, though praised the “smart” use of the Boys Choir of Harlem. The “grab-bag cast” received mixed reviews, and O’Connor concluded the concert was “Hardly memorable, but pleasantly diverting.”
In a review for The Indianapolis News, Steve Hall praised the concert for utilizing “the entire score,” and Nathan Lane’s portrayal of the Cowardly Lion. Hall was less enamored with Jackson Browne and Roger Daltry stating that they were miscast as the Scarecrow and Tin Man respectively. Hall also noted that while Jewel didn’t quite live up to Judy Garland, Jewel’s “earthier, country-music style voice” added a “homier” element to the iconic “Somewhere Over the Rainbow.”
Writing for The Christian Science Monitor, Frank Scheck stated “The musical production is highly uneven, but there are many delightful moments and an overall feeling of fun pervades.” Scheck praised the performances of Natalie Cole, Roger Daltrey, and especially Nathan Lane — “It takes a strong Broadway performer… to inject some life into the show…” — but had serious reservations about Jackson Browne’s “pallid, mumbled folk-rock” rendition of “If I Only Had a Brain.”
Sharon Johnson, writing for Harrisburg’s The Patriot News, was more enthusiastic stating “Country, rock, and R&B meet Hollywood and Broadway in this unexpectedly successful semi-staged beautifully sung production.” Johnson concluded “The stellar cast gives this old favorite a new lease on life.”
In an article reprinted in California’s Turlock Journal, Mike Duffy had reservations about the Jackson Browne, “the production’s notable weak link”, but described the concert as a “delightful Thanksgiving treat – sure to charm any daydream believer who has ever skipped down the Yellow Brick Road…” and noted that the production gave the movie “a classy, imaginative twirl for the whole family.”
The Wizard of Oz in Concert: Dreams Come True was released on VHS by Turner Home Entertainment. A cast recording was also released on CD.
The Wizard of Oz in Concert is currently available on YouTube.
cast & creative credits
CAST AND CREATIVE CREDITS
Theatre: Avery Fisher Hall, Lincoln Center
Producer: Jonathon Breuer
Book: Based on the novel by L. Frank Baum, Based on the MGM screenplay by Noel Langley, Florence Ryerson, and Edgar Allan Woolf
Music: Herbert Stothart, Harold Arlen
Lyrics: E.Y Harburg
Director: Darrell Larsen Film: Louis J. Horvitz
Musical Supervisor, Orchestrator & Conductor: Keith Levenson
Choreography: Barry Martin
Production Design: Loren Sherman
Costume Design: Stephanie Kerley Schwartz
Lighting Design: Bob Dickinson
Production Stage Manager: Jeffrey Markowitz, Andrew Feigin
TV Stage Manager: Garry Hood, Gary Natoli
Cast:
Jewel (Dorothy Gale)
Natalie Cole (Glinda the Good Witch)
Debra Winger (Wicked Witch of the West)
Jackson Browne (Scarecrow)
Roger Daltrey (Tinman)
Nathan Lane (Lion)
Joel Grey (Narrator/The Wizard)
Phoebe Snow (Featured Soloist)
Ronnie Spector (Featured Soloist)
Dr John
David Sanborn
Ry Cooder
The Boys Choir of Harlem
James Waller (Toto)
Dick Tufeld (Announcer)
Background Singers
Larry J. Alexander
John Anthony
Christy Baron
Jay Kiman
Neal Mayer
Julia K. Murney
Jennifer L. Neuland
Cahterine Ruivivar
Stephanie Seeley
Robin Skye
Tom Treadwell
Jitterbug Dancers
Jamilah Clay
Tamika Jones
Mecca Leach
Dwayne Perkins
Trevel Price
Kenyatta Prince
Lawrence Riddles
Dana Rogers
Asia Thomas
Charles Thomas
Theatre: Avery Fisher Hall, Lincoln Center
Producer: Jonathon Breuer
Book: Based on the novel by L. Frank Baum, Based on the MGM screenplay by Noel Langley, Florence Ryerson, and Edgar Allan Woolf
Music: Herbert Stothart, Harold Arlen
Lyrics: E.Y Harburg
Director: Darrell Larsen Film: Louis J. Horvitz
Musical Supervisor, Orchestrator & Conductor: Keith Levenson
Choreography: Barry Martin
Production Design: Loren Sherman
Costume Design: Stephanie Kerley Schwartz
Lighting Design: Bob Dickinson
Production Stage Manager: Jeffrey Markowitz, Andrew Feigin
TV Stage Manager: Garry Hood, Gary Natoli
Cast:
Jewel (Dorothy Gale)
Natalie Cole (Glinda the Good Witch)
Debra Winger (Wicked Witch of the West)
Jackson Browne (Scarecrow)
Roger Daltrey (Tinman)
Nathan Lane (Lion)
Joel Grey (Narrator/The Wizard)
Phoebe Snow (Featured Soloist)
Ronnie Spector (Featured Soloist)
Dr John
David Sanborn
Ry Cooder
The Boys Choir of Harlem
James Waller (Toto)
Dick Tufeld (Announcer)
Background Singers
Larry J. Alexander
John Anthony
Christy Baron
Jay Kiman
Neal Mayer
Julia K. Murney
Jennifer L. Neuland
Cahterine Ruivivar
Stephanie Seeley
Robin Skye
Tom Treadwell
Jitterbug Dancers
Jamilah Clay
Tamika Jones
Mecca Leach
Dwayne Perkins
Trevel Price
Kenyatta Prince
Lawrence Riddles
Dana Rogers
Asia Thomas
Charles Thomas
awards & nominations
No awards or nominations.
research sources
Articles
Websites
- James Barron, “SPOTLIGHT;Following the Yellow Brick Road Again,” New York Times (Nov 19, 1995), Section 12, p.36
- Richard Cromelin, “TV REVIEW; 'Wizard' Trips on Yellow Brick Road: [Home Edition],” Los Angeles Times (Nov 22, 1995)
- Mike Duffy, “Oz sings for TNT Concert,” Turlock Journal (Nov 23, 1995) p.A7
- Steve Hall, “‘Oz’ concert a cool look at a classic,” The Indianapolis News (Nov 22, 1995), p. D9
- Sharon Johnson, “Focus on Film,” The Patriot News (Harrisburg, PA), (Dec 1, 1995)
- N.F. Mendoza, “Off to see wonderful ‘Wizard’ in concert,” The Flint Journal (Nov 22, 1995), p.15
- NYBroadwayTours, “The Wizard of Oz in Concert: Dreams Come True (1995 VHS),” NY Broadway Tours (April 3, 2018)
- John J. O’Connor, “CRITIC'S NOTEBOOK;Holiday Courses of Music and Mystery,” New York Times (Nov 22, 1995)
- Frank Scheck, “Pop Performers Put a Little Zip In All-Star 'Wizard of Oz',” The Christian Science Monitor (Nov 22, 1995)
- Shauna Snow, “TELEVISIONAll-Star ‘Wizard of Oz’: Rocker Roger Daltrey…,” Los Angeles Times (Oct 26, 1995)
- Uncredited, “‘The Wizard of Oz in Concert’ will premiere Thanksgiving Evening on TNT,” Citizens’ Voice (Nov 18, 1995), p. 28
Websites
- American Film Institute, “THE WIZARD OF OZ (1939) – AFI Movie Club,” Accessed via: https://www.afi.com/the-wizard-of-oz-afi-movie-club/
- Wikipedia, “The Wizard of Oz in Concert: Dreams Come True,” Accessed via: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Wizard_of_Oz_in_Concert:_Dreams_Come_True
Written by Luisa Lyons (January 2025)