#the-wizard-of-oz

#the-wizard-of-oz

For those unfamiliar with Wicked, they may be surprised to find out that director Jon M. Chu's adaptation, split into two parts, is only technically a prequel to The Wizard of Oz for the first two-thirds of the story. Midway through Wicked: For Good, events begin to take place that align with the plot of the classic 1939 movie, which includes the sudden arrival of Kansas farmgirl Dorothy Gale via tornado/flying house.

Last week, I trudged through the Strip's endless construction and a labyrinthine parking lot to have my first experience of Sphere. Sphere-just Sphere, no definite article-is owned by Sphere Entertainment, a holding company of the Dolan family (see: HBO, AMC, Radio City Music Hall, MSG Sports), which used to be called Madison Square Garden Entertainment, which itself was spun off from the Madison Square Garden Company.

Sphere Entertainment has assembled a 2,000-person creative and technical team to rebuild the experience from the ground up, preserving the essence of The Wizard of Oz while enhancing and extending the original material with AI.

The journey within 'The Wizard of Oz' demonstrates that what we seek is ultimately within us, a powerful lesson in courage and self-discovery.