Todrick Hall From American Idol: Parents want fees returned

The success of “American Idol” contestant Todrick Hall appears to be causing a bit of a stir among parents, who are now complaining that they never got refunds for performance fees paid in a failed musical production that Hall apparently wrote and directed.

According to a recent report at abcnews.go.com, Todrick Hall, who was told he had made it to the top 24 recently, reportedly wrote “Oz, The Musical” which he billed on the musical’s Facebook page as “a contemporary twist on the classic story, with all new music.”

Hall had apparently been putting on small productions of the musical since he was 17, and used local, nonprofessional actors for the lead roles, while casting local children as the munchkins and the flying monkeys. Dallas businessman Greg Money had 3 daughters in the shows.

Then in 2008, Money, who said that they were wonderful productions which the kids all loved, agreed to finance a production in Texas. This time, a professional cast was used for the lead roles. That then led to a small tour of Texas cities in early 2009.

Plans were then made to take the musical on a national tour, and Money attempted to line up new backers. But that all fell through and the show just ended abruptly. In the meantime, auditions had already been held and some parents had paid a $50 performance fee.

You can read the full story via the link above.