Your kid comes home from school one day all lit up and smiling. Oz: The Musical is coming to town, and the production needs kids who can be munchkins. Here’s the kicker: every kid gets in. As a parent, you pay a fee and then get to see your kid in the play…or, maybe not. Some parents only received a brief e-mail - no monetary refund - stating that the show had been canceled. And rumor has it that Todrick Hall, American Idol 9 Top 24 contestant, is one of the architects of all this sadness.

The former Broadway actor apparently took Oz: The Musical on tour around the country, a show that he himself created. According to several statements from parents, cancellations occurred from February 2009 through the summer in various locations, and refunds were not given.

Vote for the Worst is collecting horror stories, and they’re piling up. Kimberlee Edwards says she shelled out $75 for costumes and rehearsal space, discovering later that the town gave the production rehearsal space at no charge. After a little digging, VFTW discovered that checks were written to Mr. Money, Magic Money Productions. Mr. Money is Greg Money, who owns Pistolutions.net. Ozthemusical.com is registered to todrick.hall@pistolutions.net.

When asked about some of these issues, Todrick Hall said the show had trouble finding enough kids. “When you divide 3,000 kids by 100 shows, it’s not enough kids to be able to pay - to help pay for the venues.” He added, “We didn’t want to quit the process, but unfortunately three or four of the cities of the thirty had to be canceled.” So far, VFTW has found at least six different cities where Oz: The Musical was canceled unexpectedly.

To be fair, there are several claims that Todrick Hall did not handle much of the money end of things with the show. Statements say that family members and friends had control over these issues. However, Oz: The Musical isn’t the only skeleton in Hall’s closet.

Billing himself this time around as a co-producer, Todrick started another show named Cinderella Rock. Ostensibly, it was to be a musical theater class for children which would culminate in a performance. According to sources, the tour was canceled shortly after the money was collected, and Hall disappeared. One story reports that individuals paid $60 apiece to be a part of the show, and they haven’t received any refunds either. In an article from Connect Amarillo, Todrick cited the fault as his producer’s and said “as of now there are no intentions of paying those kids back.” An Indy Channel article quotes Hall as saying, “no one can legally do anything to me.”

The dumb decisions made by an over-eager young man who doesn’t have the business sense to back up his bold plans? Or is this behind-the-smile back story a very chilling tale of a young man who intentionally scammed kids and parents out of their money and stage show dreams? If Todrick Hall persists with Idol, the show is likely to address all this at some point.

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