The Wiz

ACT ONE

At their farm in Kansas, Aunt Em and Uncle Henry are preparing for an approaching storm. Dorothy, their niece, plays with her dog, Toto. Aunt Em scolds Dorothy for not lending a hand by helping them get ready for the oncoming tornado. Aunt Em reminds Dorothy that she won’t be a child forever, but reassures Dorothy that she and Uncle Henry will always be there for her (“The Feeling We Once Had”).

The tornado is fast approaching. Uncle Henry hurriedly beckons the two towards the safety of the cellar, but Dorothy, struggling, can’t make it inside in time. Dorothy and the house are swept up in the tornado (“Tornado Ballet”).

The next thing Dorothy knows, she and the house have landed in a strange new place. She is approached by some of the locals, who explain to her that she is in Munchkinland in the land of Oz. As the Munchkins approach Dorothy’s house, they notice two legs sticking out from underneath it. The sparkly silver slippers on the victim’s feet identify the body as