The Wizard’s Departure Lyrics - Wizard Of Oz, The

Song Overview

Review and Highlights

Quick summary

1. A late Act II cue in the 2011 London Palladium production of The Wizard of Oz, set as the Wizard prepares to leave Emerald City in a hot air balloon.
2. Music by Andrew Lloyd Webber with lyrics that thread Tim Rice lines among classic Harold Arlen and E. Y. Harburg phrases.
3. Performed by Michael Crawford and Danielle Hope; produced by Nigel Wright and Andrew Lloyd Webber for the original London cast recording.
4. Cast album released May 9, 2011 on The Really Useful Group label under exclusive license to Polydor.
5. Functions as a brisk comic set piece with dialogue over orchestral vamp, pivoting straight into the final run of scenes.

Creation History

The 2011 stage adaptation kept the beloved film numbers but added new material by Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice to flesh out stage action. "The Wizard’s Departure" sits among these connective cues, reshaping the balloon misfire from the 1939 movie into a miniature scene with patter, cheer lines for the citizens of Oz, and Dorothy’s last dash to follow Toto. The track appeared on the original London cast album featuring Michael Crawford as the Wizard and Danielle Hope as Dorothy, produced by Nigel Wright together with Lloyd Webber.

Song Meaning and Annotations

Plot

Emerald City is mid celebration. The Wizard boasts that each companion has received what they came for - a brain, a heart, the nerve - and then arranges to escort Dorothy back to Kansas by balloon. Chaos undercuts ceremony when Toto chases a cat. Dorothy runs after him, the balloon lifts without her, and the Wizard sails off with a jolly farewell. It is a comic derailment that clears the path to Glinda’s final appearance.

Song Meaning

The cue balances bluster and humility. The Wizard amplifies his showman persona while admitting, indirectly, that the Scarecrow, Tin Man, and Lion owned their qualities all along. The moment underscores a theme threaded through the score: external tokens help people see what they already carry. Tonally it is brisk and bright - a wink before the story lands its moral.

Annotations

"You went to see the wizard... Because of the wonderful thing he was"

The familiar film phrase is reframed as self-mythology. He is selling the legend one last time, then puncturing it by praising the trio’s innate gifts.

"A brain - A heart - The nerve"

Patter turns into a call-and-response cadence, giving the orchestra room to punch each virtue. It nods to earlier numbers while keeping momentum forward.

"As Dorothy and I say our bittersweet goodbye"

Stagecraft in a single line: a fond farewell undercut by inevitable mishap. The emotional arc moves from ceremony to scramble in seconds.

"That cat ruined my exit"

The vaudeville aside lands the joke. The Wizard is both impresario and fall guy - classic musical theatre energy over a driving pit-band groove.

Sound and pacing

The recording plays like dialogue over a crisp orchestral vamp, with fanfare-like figures for announcements and scurrying woodwinds for the balloon panic. The style mixes Broadway patter with filmic underscoring - a quick-change of colors that matches the gag timing.

Key Facts

• Artist: Michael Crawford; Danielle Hope
• Featured: Original London cast ensemble
• Composer: Andrew Lloyd Webber
• Producer: Nigel Wright; Andrew Lloyd Webber
• Release Date: May 9, 2011
• Genre: Musical theatre
• Instruments: Orchestra with brass fanfares, woodwinds, rhythm section
• Label: The Really Useful Group under exclusive license to Polydor
• Mood: Festive, bustling, lightly satirical
• Length: ~1:55
• Track #: 23 on the 2011 London Palladium cast album
• Language: English
• Album: The Wizard of Oz (2011 London Palladium Recording)
• Music style: Patter with orchestral underscore
• Poetic meter: Conversational scansion with interjected rhymed slogans

Canonical Entities & Relations

Questions and Answers

Where does this piece appear in the running order?

Track 23, after "Ding-Dong! The Witch Is Dead (Reprise)" and before "Already Home."

How long is the track on the cast album?

Just under two minutes, built as a brisk transition scene.

Who sings on the recording?

Michael Crawford as the Wizard, with Danielle Hope as Dorothy responding from off to the side of the balloon chaos.

Is the cue mostly sung or spoken?

It mixes short sung phrases and spoken lines over an orchestral bed, matching the comic timing of the balloon gag.

Does it quote material from earlier numbers?

Yes, the Wizard riffs on the companions’ virtues echoing earlier songs, tying character arcs into the send off.

Was this track ever promoted as a single?

No - it lives as an album scene rather than a stand-alone single.

Where can I hear an official upload?

Universal Music hosts an official audio upload on YouTube as part of the album rollout.

What does the moment tell us about the Wizard?

He is a showman with a soft center. The farewell blends mock pomp with genuine gratitude, then chaos takes the reins.

Awards and Chart Positions

The original West End production received a nomination for Best Musical Revival at the 2012 Laurence Olivier Awards. No separate chart entries are associated with this track.

Additional Info

On the official album pages, credits list The Really Useful Group as the rights holder with Polydor as the UK licensee. Streaming and download editions often date the release to early 2011. According to NME magazine style guides on cast recordings, tracks that function as scenes rather than full numbers are cataloged for completeness but rarely promoted. MusicBrainz community entries for the album list the track at about 1 minute 55 seconds and position it as the penultimate scene before Glinda’s guidance and the finale.

Sources: Apple Music; Universal Music Group YouTube upload; MusicBrainz; Discogs; WhatsOnStage; Wikipedia - The Wizard of Oz 2011 musical.