The musical "The Wiz," which sparked the onslaught of musicals for children in 1994, is back again this Hanukkah for the third time. Back then, the loose interpretation of L. Frank Baum's "The Wizard of Oz" featured Michal Yannai, Itai Segev and the singer Adam, with Tzachi Noy playing the cowardly lion and Arik Lavi playing the wizard.

Uri Paster directed the star-studded shows, which were supposed to function a bit like the miracle of oil - three shows a day for eight days, netting lots of money for producers. Now, he is ruing his own invention. "Everyone tells me, 'you invented the Hanukkah musical,'" Paster said in one of many press releases before the holiday. "In retrospect, I have my regrets."

The current production of "The Wiz," directed by Idan Amit, stars Roni Duani as Dorothy, Mosko Alkalai as the wizard, Shalom Asiag as the scarecrow and Guy Arieli as the tin man. This time, in addition to dozens of dancers, the audience is promised flying acrobats, who will perform throughout the entire festival (December 16-23) at Hangar 11 at the Tel Aviv Port.

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Duani will not be the only blond on stage this holiday season. Yael Bar-Zohar will be playing Belle in the musical rendition of "Beauty and the Beast," directed by Moshe Kaftan. The producers, who obtained the rights to the Disney musical and promise "quality similar to the huge productions in Broadway and London," have also recruited Hani Nahmias, who is always busy at Hanukkah and this time will be playing the teapot. Yigal Sadeh will play the beast, Avraham Mor will play Belle's father. They will be accompanied by dancers and a live orchestra.

The Goshen Theater will also be mounting a musical based on a well-known fairy tale: "Puss in Boots," directed by Yaron Goshen, with Hila Breier and Idan Gonen. This production will be staged at the Rozin Auditorium in Ramat Aviv Gimmel. During Hanukkah, the Goshen Theater will also be presenting its repertoire, based on children's songs by Naomi Shemer. This performance, directed by Zvia Huberman, will be presented at the Suzanne Dellal Center in Tel Aviv.

Fairy tales set to ultra-violet rays

Another fairy tale, "The Selfish Giant," will be treated to an interesting interpretation this Hanukkah, influenced by the Black Light Theater of Prague, which combines ultra-violet light with phosphorescent colors. This production, which is also a musical, entitled, "The Giant and his Enchanted Garden," stars Lior Kalfon, with dozens of supporting actors, dancers and members of the Black Light Theater.

The multidisciplinary ethnic Inbal Center is also joining the Hanukkah show circuit, with "David and Goliath," in a musical dance performance. This production is directed and choreographed by Ilana Cohen, a student of choreographer Sarah Levy-Tanai. The script was written by Haim Idisis. For children aged 5-10.

Nitza Shaul will present a special production of the "Magical Sounds" series: "Johann King of the Waltz" about the childhood of Johann Strauss Jr. In order not to differ from other Hanukkah performances, this show also includes dancers, from "Dancing with the Stars," in which Shaul had a role.

As he did last Hanukkah, Tuvia Tzafir will participate in a new production of "Grandpa Tuvia." Last time he read stories from the Bible. This year he will sing and talk about the nascent State of Israel, delighting young children and bringing to life such figures as Theodor Herzl, Golda Meir, David Ben-Gurion, Baron Edmund de Rothschild and Eliezer Ben-Yehuda.

As always, the most grandiose production of all belongs to the Festival, directed by Hanoch Rosen. This year, the show preceded Hanukkah, with its first performance last Friday in Haifa. Performers this year include Ran Dankner, Liraz Cherki, Michael Lewis, Adi Himmelblau, Don Lenny Gabay and Shira Vilenski and the "Pajama" trio, Tal Mussari, Miri Bohadana and Eliana Bakier. There will a tribute this year to Rivka Michaeli, as there was to Tzipi Shavit last year.

Rosen himself will participate in a special production of a musical "Tararam Kidz" about a girl who wants to join a gang of boys and is greeted with a rude and mocking attitude.

"Adraba" by Mayumana, is also scheduled for Hanukkah, with its captivating beat.

The Orna Porat Children and Youth Theater and Mediatech Holon, the two well-established centers for children, will offer high quality alternatives with productions being staged all year long. The Orna Porat

Theater will be presenting several plays, including "The Court Jester," by Yaki Mahraz, with Israel Gurion both directing and playing a role; and "The Lion Roared Meow," a theatrical fable written and directed by Dor Zweigenbaum.

Mediatech's program includes "Pinnochio," adapted by Efraim Sidon and directed by the untiring Moshe Kaftan; "Peter and the Wolf," by Rami Be'er, performed by the Kibbutz Dance Company; "Mamushi the Rabbit," based on the story by Shlomit Cohen Assif; "Five Witches Went for a Walk," based on the lovely story by Ronit Chacham; and "There's No Such Thing As A Dragon," adapted from the beloved children's book by Jack Kent.