The Woodsman (play)

The Woodsman is a 2012 American stage play (described by its creators as a "dramatico-musical")[1] with music composed by Edward W. Hardy, lyrics by Jennifer Loring, and book by James Ortiz.[2] It focuses on the story of the Tin Woodman character from L. Frank Baum's series of books set in the fictional Land of Oz, notably Baum's 1918 book The Tin Woodman of Oz.[3] The production employs live performers, puppets, music, and very few spoken words.[4]

The Woodsman
Discover How The Tin Man Lost His Heart
The Woodsman Play
Playbill from the 2016 Off-Broadway Production
MusicEdward W. Hardy
LyricsJennifer Loring
BookJames Ortiz
BasisThe Tin Woodman of Oz
by L. Frank Baum
PremiereStandard ToyKraft, Brooklyn
Productions2013 Off-Off-Broadway
2013 Off-Off-Broadway
2014 Off-Broadway
2015 Off-Broadway
2016 Off-Broadway

Conceived by Strangemen Theatre Company, Edward W. Hardy and James Ortiz,[5] originally created by James Ortiz & Diana Stahl[6] and produced by Steven Laing & Jason Ralph,[7] the show debuted in 2012 at Standard ToyKraft in Brooklyn, followed by a 2013 run at the Ars Nova ANT Fest. It has been produced Off-Broadway at 59E59 Theaters in 2014[8] and 2015,[9] and at New World Stages in 2016.[10] In 2019, a limited run was produced at the Bluebarn Theatre in Omaha, Nebraska.[11][12][13]

The play has received critical praise, and won a 2016 Obie Award for Ortiz's puppet design.[14][15] On May 29, 2016, the cast recording of the musical soundtrack was released worldwide.[16] On September 2, 2016, a filmed performance of the work was broadcast by PBS stations, as part of the Theater Close-Up series produced by WNET in association with BroadwayHD.[17] As at February 25, 2022, vocal and violin selections from The Woodsman were published digitally.[18][19]

Plot

The play focuses on the story of Nick Chopper, a mortal woodsman who falls in love with a young woman whose guardian is the Wicked Witch of the East. (The witch's rule has made everyone afraid to speak aloud, so people mainly communicate in noises.) The witch curses his axe and he begins to lose pieces of himself. As he falls apart, he is replaced piece by piece with metal, while trying to hold on to his love and identity.[20]

The Woodsman Cast and Crew

Reception
Edward W. Hardy & James Ortiz Opening Night of The Woodsman (2016)

New York Times critic Laura Collins-Hughes praised the 2015 production, especially for Hardy's music and for Ortiz's puppet design, while noting that the visual, nonverbal storytelling of the hour-long production was not always clear to the audience.[9] Collins-Hughes found the 2016 production to be less rushed and "more assured", with an increased "visual lushness", but felt that "mechanics get in the way of fantasy" during part of the show.[10] Variety's Marilyn Stasio cited the production's "haunting beauty", while Frank Scheck of The Hollywood Reporter described the "charming and disturbing", minimalist production as the antithesis of Wicked, the massively successful big-budget Oz-based musical playing a block away.[3]

References
  1. "The Woodsman - Discover How The Tin Man Lost His Heart". WoodsmanThePlay. Retrieved 16 June 2021.
  2. Hayley Levitt, "'The Woodsman' Returns to New York at New World Stages", Theatremania, February 01, 2016.
  3. Frank Scheck, "'The Woodsman': Theater Review", The Hollywood Reporter, February 8, 2016.
  4. Mark Kennedy, "New York home to idiosyncratic works from actor-playwrights", Associated Press, May 5, 2016.
  5. Lortel Archives, "'The Woodsman'", Lortel Archives Internet Off-Broadway Database.
  6. BWW News Desk, "THE GIRL OF THE GOLDEN WEST, WELCOME TO THE JUNGLE and More Set for ANT Fest at Ars Nova, Now thru 6/22", BroadwayWorld, June 17, 2013.
  7. Stage Tube, "STAGE TUBE: Inside Look - 'THE WOODSMAN' Original Off-Broadway Solo Recording Tugs the Heart Strings", BroadwayWorld, February 14, 2017.
  8. Woodsman (2014 production), 59E59 Theaters (accessed 2016-09-27).
  9. Laura Collins-Hughes, "Led by a Tender Heart, Before It Is Ripped Out: ‘The Woodsman’ Tells the Tin Man’s Tale", The New York Times, January 20, 2015.
  10. Laura Collins-Hughes, "Review: In ‘The Woodsman,’ a Love Lost in Oz Under a Witch’s Spell", The New York Times, February 21, 2016.
  11. Swerczek, Christine (May 18, 2019). "Review: THE WOODSMAN at Bluebarn Theatre Leaves Me Speechless". BroadwayWorld.com.
  12. American Theatre (6 May 2019). "May/June 2019 Onstage". AMERICAN THEATRE.
  13. Wild, Stephi (August 2, 2018). "One Month Revival Of THE WOODSMAN To Be Presented For Bluebarn's 30th Anniversary". BroadwayWorld.com.
  14. 2016 Obie Award winners, accessed 2016-09-27.
  15. Zoe Beery, "The Tin Man of Oz Gets a Refit in 'The Woodsman'", The Village Voice, May 24, 2016.
  16. "The Woodsman [Original Off-Broadway Solo Recording] Album Reviews, Songs & More | AllMusic". All Music. allmusic.com. Retrieved 12 July 2022.
  17. "Theater Close-Up: The Woodsman", WNET (accessed 2016-09-27).
  18. Cristi, A. A. (February 25, 2022). "Pop-Up Giveaway of Newley Released Sheet Music From THE WOODSMAN Announced". BroadwayWorld.com.
  19. "The Woodsman". U.S. ISMN Public Archive. Edward W. Hardy. 2021. Retrieved 12 July 2022.
  20. Marilyn Stasio, "Off Broadway Review: Oz Backstory ‘The Woodsman’", Variety, February 8, 2016.
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