Hey Project Hail Mary fans! Do you like watching James Ortiz say words without a face? Would you like to watch him (mostly) not say words, with a face? And eventually with a really cool puppet that he designed? And there are more really cool puppets that he designed? And also sometimes when he does say words, he sings them? Then consider: The Woodsman!
The Woodsman is the backstory of the Tin Man from The Wizard of Oz, told through a mostly-wordless play set to music. Ortiz wrote and co-directed along with designing the puppets and starring. It's a really gorgeous piece, a dark fairy tale with a sad but hopeful ending - and a very sweet, awkward romance along the way.
Luckily, the Off-Broadway production was filmed! You can see it on BroadwayHD/Amazon, or as a screen recording on YouTube:
The Woodsman wouldn't be Ortiz's last time taking inspiration from Oz - according to this Playbill.com interview, Tik-Tok in Return to Oz was one of his influences for Rocky's voice.
In conclusion, go watch The Woodsman! It's one of the best things I've ever seen onstage! Also go read that Playbill interview, I am now dying to see the production described in the first paragraph.