'Wizard of Oz' sells out (+ video)

Regent Theatre marketing manager Hannah Molloy with the full-house sign which will  go up on the...
Regent Theatre marketing manager Hannah Molloy with the full-house sign which will go up on the night of the ballet after tickets to The Wizard of Oz sold out. Photo by Peter McIntosh.

A large number of Dunedin residents are off to see the Wizard, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz.

Tickets to the Royal New Zealand Ballet production sold out yesterday, more than two weeks before the show.

Regent Theatre marketing manager Hannah Molloy said the show's impact on the public imagination was reflected in ticket sales for the May 21 event.

"It is a really accessible story for dedicated ballet fans and for families.''

Sixteen hundred tickets went on sale in December but many had been sold in the past month, she said.

Ms Molloy believed many ticket buyers were curious to see how the story would be told by the dancers.

"You have seen Judy Garland do it, and you have read the book, but what is it going to be like watching ballet dancers in a twister?''

Royal New Zealand Ballet director Frances Turner said it was unlikely there would be another Dunedin show because of the tight tour schedule.

The company was "delighted'' there was such strong support for the ballet in Dunedin.

The Regent Theatre was one of the biggest venues the company would perform at.

"The feel of the venue, a very large audience and the exchange of delivering the story and the audience experiencing it back with you is amazing.''

The last time the company had a sold-out show at the theatre was in 2013, when the last tickets for Swan Lake were snapped up on the day of the ballet.

The public is invited to a gold coin donation warm-up event at 6.20pm before the show.

"You won't see any of the Wizard of Oz choreography, but you will see the dancers,'' Ms Turner said.

margot.taylor@odt.co.nz

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