''The Woodsman'' is a 2012 American stage play (described by its creators as a "dramatico-musical") with music composed by Edward W. Hardy, lyrics by Jennifer Loring, and book by James Ortiz. It focuses on the story of the

Tin Woodman Nick Chopper, the Tin Woodman, also known as the Tin Man or—mistakenly—the "Tin Woodsman," is a character in the fictional Land of Oz created by American author L. Frank Baum. Baum's Tin Woodman first appeared in his classic 1900 book '' ...

character from

L. Frank Baum Lyman Frank Baum (; May 15, 1856 – May 6, 1919) was an American author best known for his children's books, particularly ''The Wonderful Wizard of Oz'' and its sequels. He wrote 14 novels in the ''Oz'' series, plus 41 other novels (not includ ...

series of books A book series is a sequence of books having certain characteristics in common that are formally identified together as a group. Book series can be organized in different ways, such as written by the same author, or marketed as a group by their pub ...

set in the fictional

Land of Oz The Land of Oz is a fantasy world, magical country introduced in the 1900 children's novel ''The Wonderful Wizard of Oz'' written by L. Frank Baum and illustrated by William Wallace Denslow, W. W. Denslow. Oz consists of four vast quadrants, th ...

, notably Baum's 1918 book ''

The Tin Woodman of Oz ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the ...

''.Frank Scheck
"'The Woodsman': Theater Review"
''

The Hollywood Reporter ''The Hollywood Reporter'' (''THR'') is an American digital and print magazine which focuses on the Hollywood film, television, and entertainment industries. It was founded in 1930 as a daily trade paper, and in 2010 switched to a weekly larg ...

'', February 8, 2016. The production employs live performers, puppets, music, and very few spoken words. Conceived by Strangemen Theatre Company, Edward W. Hardy and James Ortiz, originally created by James Ortiz & Diana Stahl and produced by Steven Laing & Jason Ralph, 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 and 2015,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 ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid d ...

'', January 20, 2015. and at

New World Stages New World Stages is a five-theater, Off-Broadway performing arts complex in the Hell's Kitchen neighborhood of Manhattan in New York City. It is between 49th and 50th Streets beneath the plaza of the Worldwide Plaza complex at Eighth Avenue. ...

in 2016.Laura Collins-Hughes
"Review: In ‘The Woodsman,’ a Love Lost in Oz Under a Witch’s Spell"
''

'', February 21, 2016. In 2019, a limited run was produced at the Bluebarn Theatre in Omaha, Nebraska. The play has received critical praise for Hardy's music, and won a 2016 Obie Award for Ortiz's puppet design. On May 29, 2016, the cast recording of the musical soundtrack was released worldwide. On September 2, 2016, a filmed performance of the work was broadcast by

PBS The Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) is an American public broadcaster and non-commercial, free-to-air television network based in Arlington, Virginia. PBS is a publicly funded nonprofit organization and the most prominent provider of educat ...

stations, as part of the ''Theater Close-Up'' series produced by

WNET WNET (channel 13), branded on-air as "Thirteen" (stylized as "THIRTEEN"), is a primary PBS member television station licensed to Newark, New Jersey, United States, serving the New York City area. Owned by The WNET Group (formerly known as the ...

in association with

BroadwayHD BroadwayHD is an on-demand digital streaming media company. Based in New York City, the company records and distributes live theater performances and previously recorded theatrical productions through its platform. History Stewart F. Lane and ...

. As at February 25, 2022, vocal and violin selections from ''The Woodsman'' were published digitally.

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 Wicked Witch of the East is a fictional character created by American author L. Frank Baum. She is a crucial character but appears only briefly in Baum's classic children's series of ''Oz'' novels, most notably ''The Wonderful Wizard of ...

. (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.Marilyn Stasio
"Off Broadway Review: Oz Backstory ‘The Woodsman’"
''

Variety Variety may refer to: Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats * Variety (radio) * Variety show, in theater and television Films * ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont * ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...

'', February 8, 2016. The Woodsman Cast (2015)

Reception

New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

'' 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. 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. ''

s Marilyn Stasio cited the production's "haunting beauty", while Frank Scheck of ''

'' described the "charming and disturbing", minimalist production as the antithesis of ''

Wicked Wicked may refer to: Books * Wicked, a minor character in the ''X-Men'' universe * '' Wicked'', a 1995 novel by Gregory Maguire that inspired the musical of the same name * ''Wicked'', the fifth novel in Sara Shepard's ''Pretty Little Liars'' s ...

'', the massively successful big-budget Oz-based musical playing a block away.

References

External links

* *
Edward W. Hardy Publishing
{{DEFAULTSORT:Woodsman The Woodsman (play) 2012 plays Obie Award-winning plays Theatre soundtracks Compositions by Edward W. Hardy Films scored by Edward W. Hardy 2016 soundtrack albums Plays based on The Wizard of Oz Off-Broadway plays