The Wizard of Oz opens on 01 March 2011 at the London Palladium, produced by Andrew Lloyd Webber and Bill Kenwright, and is already backed by a swell of publicity that accompanied 18 year old Danielle Hope winning the BBC talent search Over the Rainbow. Experienced director Jeremy Sams has taken charge of the production and recently spoke with Variety about the new vision he will be bringing to the ambitious show.

Show Will Have a New Opening Number!

Besides the much-loved songs from the Oscar-winning movie, Sams' new production will have additional material by Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice.

"Musicals usually have an opening number in which people sing and set the tone followed by an 'I want' song," Sams explained. "With 'Over the Rainbow,' we have the best 'I want' song of all time, but it seems wrong to me to start with that. So now we have an opening number."

Sams has also created the structure for an old-fashioned 11 o'clock number for Glinda and a major second-act opener for the Wicked Witch and her Winkies.

Extra Colour Added to the Story

"I love the movie," said Sams, "but previous productions have tried to put that onstage, in some cases right down to the tiniest detail. But it seems to me, the closer you get to the original the more you're faced with the question of, why are you doing this? Why not just give audiences the DVD?"

With Sams also working on the book for the musical, extra colour will certainly be added to the story. It's also understood that the London Palladium's famous revolving stage will be put to good use as the mythical Emerald Kingdom is recreated with spectacular scenery and special effects to rival the magic of The Wizard!

The Wizard of Oz at the London Palladium is directed by Jeremy Sams, choreographed by Arlene Phillips, music and lyrics by Harold Arlen and E Y Harburg, with additional music and lyrics by Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice with the set and costumes designed by Rob Jones.