For those who still rely on a Wizard of Oz rewatch to perk themselves up, here's an event that might seem more exciting than the sight of a rainbow.
On Thursday, June 22, Massey Theatre’s Eighth and Eight Creative Spaces will host an evening dedicated to The Wizard of Oz-star and entertainment icon Judy Garland — with a 135-minute presentation of clips from the star's movies, musicals and vintage television shows carefully curated by film historian Michael van den Bos.
The tribute show debuted at the Vancouver International Film Festival Centre in 2022 to mark Judy Garland's 100th birthday, and was presented at the Kay Meek Arts Centre in West Vancouver before making its way to New West.
Van den Bos went through memoirs, biographies and vintage interview clips of the Hollywood sensation to bring out a tight narrative that fits within it Garland’s lustrous career — starting from Garland’s days as a child artist (her parents were vaudeville performers), to her years at Metro Goldwyn Mayer (MGM) making movies like The Wizard of Oz, her work with actor Mickey Rooney, musicals with actors Gene Kelly and Fred Astaire, followed by the work she did with her then husband and director, Vincent Minnelli on films such as Meet Me in St. Louis and The Pirate.
The first half of the presentation ends at the point where Garland splits from MGM in 1950, breaking her ties with the production behemoth that had catapulted her name to the top of Hollywood.
What follows is a short intermission, where the audience can buy a Ruby Slipper cocktail and Garland's favourite — chocolate cake, before coming back for the second half that will focus on Garland’s comeback on concert stages, on television, films like A Star is Born at Warner Brothers and more.
Judy Garland, a mass favourite
“She only lived to be 47 but she packed a lot in, that's for sure. She had several marriages and three children, but nevertheless, it's just the talent itself that just transcends time — like Frank Sinatra, or the great Louis Armstrong, or Bing Crosby,” said van den Bos, a die-hard Garland fan.
He had first seen the actor in The Wizard of Oz in his mid-teens, when the movie made its television airings in the ‘70s.
“I couldn't get enough of it. I just fell in love with it on my little TV screen,” said van den Bos, who also teaches animation history at Capilano University.
The movie was more than just a one-time binge; it opened the world of musicals for van den Bos — pushing him to explore other classic musical films from the golden era of Hollywood, such as Singin' in the Rain and An American in Paris.
Though van den Bos had always “admired and respected” the actress, it was in the 1990s when a “spark hit,” he said.
“Suddenly, there was a real passion for who she was as a talent and as a singer. And that's always been there since; now I'm trying to pass it on to my daughter” — and through the tribute show, to the people of New West.
“There was something extremely personable about Judy,” he said.
“She possessed a magnificent vulnerability that she could wear on her sleeve. She was also very strong with what she had to go through. And that not only got in the press a lot (because of all her personal issues, her marriages and certain addictions), but that vulnerability always came out in her performances.”
And that transcended all genders and races, he said.
Ultimately, "it was just about being human.”
Catch the show Get Happy! Celebrating Judy Garland at Studio 1B, Eighth and Eight Creative Spaces, Massey Theatre, 735 Eighth Ave., Thursday, June 22 at 7 p.m. Tickets are priced at $18. For details, visit the Eighth and Eight website.
