See—and hear!—the Wizard with the NJSO this weekend

Take the yellow brick road with the NJSO this weekend as the Orchestra performs Harold Arlen’s full score to The Wizard of Oz as the classic film screens above the stage on Saturday, April 26, at NJPAC in Newark and Sunday, April 27, at the State Theatre in New Brunswick.

The concerts are perfect for the whole family. Dress up as your favorite Wizard of Oz character to participate in a pre-concert costume contest—with categories for adults and children.

The American Film Institute named the classic 1939 musical film, which celebrates its 75th anniversary this year, the sixth greatest American movie of all time. Critic Roger Ebert writes: “‘The Wizard of Oz’ fills such a large space in our imagination. It somehow seems real and important in a way most movies don’t … ‘The Wizard of Oz’ has a wonderful surface of comedy and music, special effects and excitement, but we still watch it [decades] later because its underlying story penetrates straight to the deepest insecurities of childhood, stirs them and then reassures them.”

Seeing The Wizard of Oz with an orchestra performing the film score live promises to be an unforgettable experience. The Washington Post writes: “having the music in the foreground of the film brought out elements and moments that usually go unnoticed. From the frightening tarantella of the Wicked Witch to the melodies of ‘there’s no place like home,’ the threads of the film are woven together by the music.”

Other special festivities also precede each concert. Dance to the swinging sounds of the Michael Arenella Sextet in the NJPAC lobby on Saturday, or join in on a sing-along of songs from The Wizard of Oz and the Harold Arlen songbook at the State Theatre on Sunday.

Critics and audiences have praised previous NJSO live-score performances. Of last season’s Casablanca production, Theatre Scene wrote: “The combination of the big silver screen and the big sound of the New Jersey Symphony gave the afternoon a glamour and excitement as if we were at [the film’s] opening night. It was better [than] 3-D. It was aural 3-D, a visceral encounter.”