''The Woodsman'' is a 2012 American stage play (described by its creators as a "dramatico-musical") with music composed by

Edward W. Hardy Edward W. Hardy (born January 12, 1992) is an American composer, music director, violinist and violist. He is known as the composer, co-conceiver, music director, and violinist of the Off-Broadway show '' The Woodsman'' and is the owner of '' ...

, lyrics by Jennifer Loring, and book by James Ortiz. It focuses on the story of the Tin Woodman 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 ...

's series of books set in the fictional Land of Oz, 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 m ...

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

The Hollywood Reporter ''The Hollywood Reporter'' (''THR'') is an American digital and print magazine which focuses on the Cinema of the United States, Hollywood film industry, film, television, and entertainment industries. It was founded in 1930 as a daily trade pap ...

'', February 8, 2016. The production employs live performers, puppets, music, and very few spoken words. Conceived by Strangemen Theatre Company,

and James Ortiz, originally created by James Ortiz & Diana Stahl and produced by Steven Laing &

Jason Ralph Jason Ralph (born April 7, 1986) is an American actor and theater producer. Ralph began his career in theater, most notably performing in ''Peter and the Starcatcher'' on Broadway and off-Broadway and producing ''The Woodsman''. From 2015 to 20 ...

, 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 An off-Broadway theatre is any professional theatre venue in New York City with a seating capacity between 100 and 499, inclusive. These theatres are smaller than Broadway theatres, but larger than off-off-Broadway theatres, which seat fewer tha ...

59E59 Theaters 59E59 Theaters is a curated rental venue located in New York City that consists of three theater spaces or stages. It shows both off-Broadway (in Theater A) and off-off-Broadway plays (in Theaters B and C). The complex is owned and operated by ...

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 ...

'', January 20, 2015. and at New World Stages 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 The Obie Awards or Off-Broadway Theater Awards are annual awards originally given by ''The Village Voice'' newspaper to theatre artists and groups in New York City. In September 2014, the awards were jointly presented and administered with the A ...

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 broadcasting, public broadcaster and Non-commercial activity, non-commercial, Terrestrial television, free-to-air television network based in Arlington, Virginia. PBS is a publicly fu ...

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

, 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 List of Oz books, ''Oz'' novels, most notably ''The Won ...

. (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'', 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 d ...

'' 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. '' Varietys 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'' ser ...

'', 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