Tucked into the Lincoln Park neighborhood on Chicago's North Side, Oz Park is a "Wizard of Oz"-themed oasis that pays homage to the classic 1939 film and children's books in the neighborhood that ...

"The Wizard of Oz" stage musical will play just eight shows from April 30 to May 3 at the beautiful, historic Chicago Theatre. Tickets, $45 to $75, are available at chicagotheatre.com.

Loosely based on the original 1900 novel "The Wonderful Wizard of Oz" written by L. Frank Baum, "Wicked" tells the background story of the witches we meet in Oz during Dorothy's famous visit.

quicklist:title: Oztext: W.C. Fields was the first choice to play the Wizard, but Harmetz said, "the studio wouldn't meet his price." Instead, MGM turned to contract player Frank Morgan.

At one point in the play, the Wizard offers the Scarecrow the brain of Republican powerbroker Mark Hanna; at another, the Scarecrow cracks that he might be related to Secretary of State John Hay.