Lied Center adds 3rd performance of 'Wizard of Oz'

"There's no place like home, there's no place like home..." "The Wizard of Oz," the greatest family musical of all time, is stealing the hearts of audiences of all ages on its national tour. Local audiences can get swept up in the magic at the Lied Center for Performing Arts at 3 and 7:30 p.m. April 10 and 2 p.m. April 11.

Due to popular demand, the Lied added the April 10 matinee performance to its original schedule.

This production, based on the Royal Shakespeare Co.'s celebration of the 1939 movie, will win over audiences the moment the tornado twists into Kansas. Dorothy, Toto and their friends, the Cowardly Lion, Tin Man and Scarecrow, are transported "over the rainbow" to adventures in Munchkinland, the Emerald City and beyond. Called "brilliant!" by The UK Theatre Network and "just wonderful" by The Daily Echo, the show's breathtaking special effects, magnificent choreography and a dazzling, art-deco Oz delight both the young and young at heart. Just like the film, the stage show features all the classic songs by Harold Arlen and E.Y. Harburg, including "Over the Rainbow," "Ding Dong the Witch is Dead," "Follow the Yellow Brick Road" and "The Merry Old Land of Oz." As a special treat, the show even includes a dance number called "Jitterbug," that was intended for the original film but later cut.

This performance is possible in part by generous support from Ameritas Life Insurance Corp. and the Friends of Lied.

Tickets for this performance are $54, $49, and $44. Students at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and other participating colleges with a valid ID, and youths age 18 and younger, may purchase tickets for half price. Call the Lied Ticket Office at (402) 472-4747 or (800) 432-3231 for availability. Regular ticket office hours are 11 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. weekdays. Tickets may also be purchased online at www.liedcenter.org. The Lied Center is located on the UNL City Campus at 301 N. 12th St. [map].

As part of the Lied Center's ongoing education programming, a pre-performance talk will be featured in the Lied Center's Steinhart Room. Seating is limited in the Steinhart, and the pre-talk will begin a half hour before curtain or when the room is full.

Lied Center programming is supported by Friends of Lied and grants from Association of Performing Arts Presenters, National Endowment for the Arts, Mid-America Arts Alliance, Nebraska Arts Council, New England Foundation for the Arts, Richard P. Kimmel and Laurine Kimmel Charitable Foundation Inc., Lincoln Community Foundation, Cooper Foundation, Woods Charitable Fund and Lincoln Arts Council. All events in the Lied Center are made possible entirely or in part by the Lied Performance Fund, established in memory of Ernst F. Lied and his parents, Ernst M. and Ida K. Lied.

For more information about "Wizard of Oz," visit www.columbiaartiststheatricals.com/_shows/oz.html.

WRITER: Nicole Manske, Marketing Intern, Lied Center for Performing Arts