The Wizard of Oz was an entertainment franchise before franchises were a concept. The original 14-book series by Baum is a rich tapestry of dark fantasy with bizarre characters and settings.

The Wizard of Oz continues at the Ed Mirvish Theatre, 244 Victoria St., Toronto. Tickets at mirvish.com. Sign up for our redesigned Morning Update newsletter.

Mirvish taps Book of Mormon, Wizard of Oz for new season Broadway shows, movie-musical adaptations on 2012-2013 playbill CBC Arts · Posted: Feb 06, 2012 1:11 PM PST | Last Updated: February 6, 2012 ...

In his book, Mr. Maren blamed a troubled Judy Garland, who played Dorothy in The Wizard of Oz, for erroneously painting her dwarf castmates as miscreants.