Most helpful customer reviews
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5.0 out of 5 stars
A WONDERFUL TREAT FOR OZ FANS - Colin Ayres, Feb 17 2003
The Wonderful World of Oz radio plays are a must for any Baum Oz fans, these are truly faithful adaptations of L. Frank Baum's first five Oz books.
Jerry Robbins's and the Colonial players deserve a lot of praise, the quality of the production is excellent.
The actors bring to life our cherished Oz characters with enthusiasm, lots of humour and Dorothy (Amy Strack) is marvellous she plays Dorothy the way Baum wrote her happy , intelligent, earnest and confident! A true all round Amercan girl.
Just sit back and close your eye's and let the music and sound effects whisk you down the yellow brick road to Oz!
For those out there who are upset at there not being many, prospects of sequels to the films at the moment, this is the next best thing.
The efforts in this productiion are those of any great film or television series and I would compare them to any of the great B.B.C. radio productions.
For those who have never known anymore about Oz than the Wizard of Oz M.G.M.film, if you love this then you'll love the books and will never want to look back.
I wait in anticipation of the next instalment it will be money well spent!
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5.0 out of 5 stars
An outstanding achievement, Sep 15 2001
"The Wonderful World of Oz" is one of the few completely faithful dramatic adaptations of works by L. Frank Baum, the author of "The Wizard of Oz," ever to be produced. It is an audio adaptation of Baum's first five Oz books -- "Wizard" and the first four of the thirteen sequels he wrote to "Wizard." Like any adaptation it contains a few changes, but they are tiny -- to give Oz fans an idea of their magnitude, the biggest change in the whole set of tapes is that the Woggle-Bug is inexplicably called the "Woogle-Bug" throughout.There are few or no weak links in the cast. The performers who appear as Dorothy and the Scarecrow deserve special praise, but there were only two or three performers I couldn't warm up to, and others may feel differently. Amy Strack's Dorothy is almost in the same league as those of Judy Garland and Fairuza Balk (in Disney's "Return to Oz"); her interpretation of the role, however, is quite different from theirs. Strack's Dorothy is only seldom tearful and sentimental like Garland's, and never somber and introspective like Balk's. She is cheerful, determined, and courageous in the face of every situation -- a wonderful role model for young girls. Strack even manages to make Dorothy sound older in each successive story (since the five books adapted by this production take place over several years; Dorothy probably ages from about 6 to about 10). "Wonderful World" was recorded over only six months, so this subtle but wonderful effect is due to Strack's skill as an actress. As a fan of the Oz books, I recognize Strack's Dorothy as Baum's own conception of the character at last brought to life. One of "Wonderful World"'s greatest glories is Jeffrey Gage's memorable musical score. Certainly one of its greatest moments comes when Dorothy and her friends first enter the Emerald City and the music by itself manages to convey the City's beauty and glory. The sound effects and stereo production are also superb -- for the full effect, listen to this set on headphones. "Wonderful World" **is** wonderful, like the books on which it is based. Buy it for your children, for your library, for anywhere where children with access to a tape recorder will find it. It represents a kind of beauty, hope and love that we need now more than ever before.
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5.0 out of 5 stars
Characters of Oz come vividly to life, Jul 6 2001
Superbly performed by Jerry Robins and The Colonial Radio Players, five of L. Frank Baum's stories of the lands and characters of Oz come vividly to life in a true "theater of the mind" experience for listeners of all ages. The Wonderful Wizard Of Oz is a flawlessly produced, ten cassette, audiobook anthology which includes The Wonderful Wizard Of Oz (151 minutes); The Marvelous Land Of Oz (138 minutes); Ozma Of Oz (127 minutes); Dorothy And The Wizard In Oz (133 minutes); and The Road To Oz (134 minutes). A very highly recommended gift for any family with children, The Wonderful Wizard Of Oz comes in a colorful, sturdy, plastic album making it ideal for school and community library collections as well.
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