Der Zauberer von Oz

Libretto by Stephan Knies after Lyman Frank Baum (G)

S,T,Bar,actress; speaking role;
pft-perc(1=speaking role Tin Man)

Dorothy lives on a windswept farm in the US state of Kansas. Along with her house and her dog Toto a powerful tornado carries her away into an unknown, strange land full of colours, wonders and outlandish creatures. When she arrives in the land of Oz, she discovers that she has accidentally defeated an evil witch – and is now being celebrated as a heroine. But Dorothy has only one wish: she wants to go home.

In order to get there, she must seek out the mysterious Wizard of Oz, who lives somewhere in the glittering Emerald City. On her way, she meets three extraordinary companions who accompany her: a scarecrow who longs for a brain, a tin man who lacks a heart, and a lion who wishes for nothing more than courage. Together they set off on their journey and have numerous adventures. They meet good and evil witches, are threatened by flying monkeys, wander through dark forests and sparkling cities – and in the process grow beyond themselves. In the end, it turns out that the supposedly all-powerful wizard is in fact just an ordinary man behind a curtain – and that everything Dorothy and her friends thought they needed, they already had within themselves. With this realisation, Dorothy finally manages to return to Kansas. And although nothing is the same as before, she now knows that sometimes you need to travel far in order to recognize what really matters.

Poetic