"This production, impressively coordinated by director Weems, taps into a modern feeling of technological wonder while demystifying an earlier one…The behind-the-scenes 'Oz' material is punctuated with monologues by Angelos—seminar-style history lessons, full of tasty trivia—and a few tangential reenactments…The connections are sometimes oblique, but the show provides a lively and diverting look at the gears of artistic wizardry and the ways in which we get caught up in them."
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"An ultra-creative downtown theatrical experience...The cast of three performers is truly outstanding...The final star of the show is the technical crew, who has created real magic on the stage...'Elements of Oz' is a magical, intellectual theatrical event that is perfect for anyone who is a fan of 'The Wizard of Oz,' history, movie-making magic, or being transported to a better place for a short time to forget about reality and glimpse a better place that might only exist in our dreams."
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"The Builders Association’s modern, wildly inventive tribute to the film, 'Elements of Oz,' works similarly to show off a whole new suite of 21st century technologies...Most of that action is a live, abridged re-enactment of the film, carried out briskly and seamlessly. It’s an impressive theatrical feat...Combine all these elements and the result is part 'Whose Line Is It Anyway?' and part Ted Talk, one that’s frequently as funny as it is educational...'Elements of Oz' is a welcome escape."
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"This digital wizardry could have propelled a striking performance…The company spends its energy assembling information: historical context, allegorical interpretations, film-set trivia…What's hard to locate, among all the trivia and tech, is a theatrical destination — a reason for the research...These enticing tidbits never converge into a central event. The longer you sit, the more you might feel the urge to turn off your phone, head home, and cue up the Technicolor instead."
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"Wildly unique...masterfully created by The Builders Association. Part theatre, part history lecture, and part lesson in filmmaking, this is a brilliant exploration of the beloved 1939 film 'The Wizard of Oz'...The cast is full of energy, hopping from role to role at the drop of a hat. All three of them play Dorothy at some point, illustrating literally the way so many people relate to the iconic character...This nostalgic trip behind the scenes of Oz is an absolute treat."
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"The live re-creations of scenes from the movie are technically marvelous; the digital video is dazzlingly pristine, and it’s fun, at least for a while, to watch the wry comic impersonations of the performances in the movie...But ultimately these sequences don’t provide enough comic stimulation to justify their length. It begins to feel a bit too much like a draggy day on the back lot, and you might find yourself tempted to escape the app and fire up the real movie on your phone."
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"The show looks gorgeous...It's fascinating, but ‘Elements’ omits the movie's powerful message that home is where family is, sepia-toned or not. The Builders Association may disagree, but ignoring the sentiment doesn't really work. The phone app didn't work perfectly, either…But while all the ideas don't quite pan out yet, what wonderful ideas they are. 'Elements of Oz' may have a few more turns on its YouTube bricked road to bring us home, but the journey's well worth it."
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