Show Synopsis:
Dorothy, an unhappy girl living with her aunt and uncle in Kansas, gets blown away in a tornado with her house and dog and lands in the magical land of Oz. She accidentally kills the Wicked Witch of the East with her flying house and obtains the witch's magical shoes. While Dorothy travels to the Emerald City to seek the Wizard's help to get back to Kansas, the witch's sister The Wicked Witch of the West attempts to capture her. On the way to the Emerald City, she befriends others who want the Wizard's help, but he will not help them unless they kill the Wicked Witch of the West. The Witch imprisons Dorothy, but her friends help her kill the Witch by melting her with a bucket of water. Upon their return to the Emerald City, Dorothy and her friends discover that the wizard is not a magical person but an ordinary man from America. Dorothy is finally able to get home with the help of the magical shoes, where her relatives tell her it was all a dream.
Character:
Dorothy Gale, a teenage girl who is not quite sure where she fits in and tries to be kind to everyone she meets.
Song Context:
Glinda, the Good Witch of the South, has told Dorothy that she had the key to getting back to Kansas the entire time. The magical shoes will take her back if she believes that they can, and Dorothy says goodbye to her friends as she wishes for the shoes to take her home.
Fun Facts:
1) This musical is based on L. Frank Baum's The Wonderful Wizard of Oz.
2) R&B sensation Diana Ross played Dorothy in the film adaptation of the musical.
3) Whitney Houston made her debut singing this song on the Merv Griffin show on April 29, 1983.
"When I think of home,
I think of a place where there's love overflowing.
I wish I was home,
I wish I was back there with the things I been knowing.
Wind that makes the tall trees bend into leaning,
Suddenly the snowflakes that fall have a meaning,
Sprinklin' the scene, makes it all clean.
Maybe there's a chance for me to go back there
Now that I have some direction.
It would sure be nice to be back home
Where there's love and affection
And just maybe I can convince time to slow up
Giving me enough time in my life to grow up.
Time be my friend, let me start again.
Suddenly my world has changed it's face,
But I still know where I'm going.
I have had my mind spun around in space
And yet I've watched it growing.
If you're list'ning God,
Please don't make it hard to know
If we should believe in the things that we see.
Tell us, should we run away
Should we try and stay
Or would it be better just to let things be?
Living here, in this brand new world
Might be a fantasy,
But it taught me to love
So it's real, real to me.
And I've learned
That we must look inside our hearts
To find a world full of love
Like yours
Like me
Like home."