The Wizard of Oz

The land of Oz has gone high tech, in the B Street production of “The Wizard of Oz,” adapted by Lyndsay Burch.   

Gone is the drab Kansas farmhouse and the evil bicycle-riding Miss Gulch.  In this adaptation, Dorothy (Tiffanie Mack) is a video game designer, building a virtual reality Oz game for a holiday release date.  But they have discovered a few glitches and Dorothy must enter the game to find and fix them.  The performance itself, when I saw it, had a few technical glitches of its own that the cast handled smoothly.

Thanks to the Los Angeles-based guest scenic and video designer Kamyi Lee, an exciting digital world has been created, complete with a digital Toto.       

Scary Dave Pierini eats up the scenery as the Wicked Witch of the West, Amy Kelly was the logical choice for the Cowardly Lion, the kind of role that she does so well.  Sam Kebede is the boneless Scarecrow, Greg Alexander is the Tin Man and John Lamb is the Wizard.  Each actor, except for Mack,  has at least one other role which must be most difficult for Elisabeth Nunziato, having to switch from Glinda to Aunt Em in an eyeblink at the end of the show.

But there’s no place like home, and Dorothy is able to fix the video game and return to her office in time for Christmas.

The show is geared for all ages from 5 up and is great fun for adults too. The kids like being included in several spots and love the chase scenes throughout the theater.

Wizard of Oz

Despite the slow pace and the interminable set changes, I had more fun at the Winters Theatre Company’s production of “The Wizard of Oz,” directed by Anita Ahuja than I have had in a long time.

For starters there is perhaps the largest cast I have seen on the Winters stage (more than 30), including the Munchkin Hinojosa brothers, one of whom was a baby in a carrier, and the other a toddler, who had us all laughing when he escaped and ran off the stage.

Another favorite was Tibby Williams, as Toto, who had more on-stage time than most Totos do, and who, other than a few unexpected barks, was surprisingly good, though you could tell when the members of her real family came on stage in costume because her tail would wag furiously.

Alexis Velasquez was a perhaps too tall Dorothy, though she had that wide-eyed wonder one expects from a girl whose house has swirled through the air and landed her in a strange land. She also had a beautiful clear voice.

There must be something about putting a bizarre costume on an actor to bring out the best in them.  A case in point was Eleanor Yeatman, as Miss Gulch and the Wicked Witch.  Paint a girl’s face green and watch her eat the scenery.  She was absolutely marvelous.

(Yeatman is also credited as Assistant Director, set construction, costumes and props!)

Likewise, this may have been the best performance I have seen by Jim Hewlett as the Scarecrow.  He was completely comfortable in his wobbly body and became a great friend to Dorothy.

Robert Williams (from Tibby’s family) was a wonderful Cowardly Lion and even offered a pretty credible Bert Lahr during his “If I were king of the forest.”

A find for Winters was Loren Skinner, in his first ever theatrical performance, as the Tin Man.  He had the kind of voice that makes you sit up and wonder “where has this guy BEEN all these years?”  I hope we will see more of him on the Winters stage.

Elizabeth Williams was a younger than expected Glinda, the Witch of the North, but she was warm and wise in helping Dorothy when she needed help.

(Rounding out the Williams family was Jason Williams as Nikko, the Monkey Commander, who was a credible slightly evil sidekick to the witch, and also one of the mean apple trees.)

In lesser roles, Debra DeAngelo made the most of Auntie Em, a strict, no-nonsense farm woman, whose warm side shines through when she insists the farm hands have cookies so they don’t have to work on an empty stomach.  Her best, though, was her appearance inside a big glass globe while Dorothy is locked in the witch’s castle.    

[picky aside: Dorothy refers to her consistently as “Aunt Em” instead of ”Auntie Em,” which grated on my nerves until the end of the show when she finally called her Auntie.]

Jesse Akers was fine in the small role of the gruff Uncle Henry,

Tom Rost was a professorial Professor Marvel, and the Wizard.  He was wise in dealing with run-away Dorothy, and with granting the wishes of Dorothy’s three companions.

The young actors playing Munchkin, Lullaby League, and Lollipop Guild were well rehearsed, disciplined and sang well, as well as being very cute.  Josh Masem and Kenneth Matheson were notable as the Mayor and Coroner, respectively.

Ahuja decided to add back the Jitterbug, a number which had been cut from the movie and the dancers, Mikenzie Hapworth Eldridge, Elizabeth Williams, Julia Berrelleza, Christian Duran, Manny Lanzaro and Kenneth Matheson made fun work of the bugs dancing around.

The set for most of Oz (designed by Gary Schroeder) was pretty minimal, but there was a nice, solid farm house for the Gale family and a great storm cellar for protection from the approaching storm.  A nice touch was the lantern on the house porch, which swung wildly in the wind, without visible help from anyone.

It was a full house for opening night and we all had a wonderful time.  This was the first in-theater production since the death of co-founder Howard Hupe, whose presence was missed, and who was honored briefly before the start of the show.

The Wizard of Oz

The Davis Musical Theater Company has opened a perfectly charming production of “The Wizard of Oz,” directed and choreographed by Jan Isaacson.

While this is a bare bones production, as far as tech is concerned, there is nothing bare bones in the delightful performances, the costumes or the choreography.  The production is a mostly faithful interpretation of the iconic movie.

Cass Olson is a lovely Dorothy, sweet and innocent and full of wonder, yet longing for her Kansas home.  She has a strong, clear voice that gives perfect pitch to “Over the Rainbow” and she has good rapport with all of her fellow actors.

“Pico Taormina” (who has his own Instagram account) was one of the best behaved Totos I have seen.  He entered the stage when he was supposed to, stood when he was supposed to stand, ran off stage when he was supposed to, and never barked once.  He even chewed Professor Marvel’s hot dog when he was supposed to.  The last time I saw this show, at a different theater, Toto was so obstreperous he disrupted every scene he was in.

Dannette Vassar is an Auntie Em to be reckoned with, while the Uncle Henry of Scott Daughterty was more subdued.  Both appear later in Oz, with Daughterty also playing the Captain of the Winkie guard.

Edward Arakelyan is just wonderful as the Scarecrow (and in Kansas, the farmhand Hunk).  He is winsome and engaging and it’s no wonder he and Dorothy become BFFs.

Gabe Avila maneuvers around in that big Tin Man suit and was also the farmhand Hickory.  He has a big heart in that empty chest of his.

And what can one say about Steve Isaacson as the Cowardly Lion (and farmhand Zeke).  He’s big and cuddly, with a powerful voice.  He is wonderfully reminiscent of Bert Lahr and is truly a Dandy-lion.

The delightful Brian McCann is Professor Marvel and, in Oz, the Wizard.  This role is just perfect for him and he is so much fun to watch on stage.

Lucinda Otto must have been channeling actress Billie Burke because she sounded just like her as Glinda.  She enters and leaves from the wings instead of in a magical bubble, but while there She’s perfect as the Good Witch of the North.

Sarah Kraemer, on the other hand is not good at all...which means she was very good portraying the Wicked Witch of the West (and nasty Kansas neighbor, Almira Gulch).  She had a marvelous time chewing the scenery and at times with that green makeup, her eyes seemed to glow as she spat out her hateful words at...well...everyone.

Fiona Cubbage and Veronica Kyker were great at the Mayor and Coroner of Munchkin land, while Ava Guisino, Lexi Telles and Gillian Cubbage were the cutest Lullabye League you’ve ever seen, particularly six year old Gillian, who stole the show whenever she was on stage.

The other Munchkins, flying monkeys, jitterbugs, snowmen, apple trees, Ozians, and Winkies were a mixture of adult actors and members of DMTC’s Young People’s Theater.  All were delightful. 

Special note should be made of Ryan Everett, who played the lead snowman, as well as other roles throughout the show, and stood out from the rest for his dancing ability.

DMTC needs a video person.  The show could have been enhanced in several places by using projections for, for example, the tornado, the flying monkeys, and the Witch’s “Surrender Dorothy” written in the sky, but they did as well as could be expected within the constraints of a small budget.

The yellow brick road, for example, was played by Tessa Hickman, also an excellent dancer, who wore a yellow tux with a long brick-printed tail, who went ahead Dorothy to show her the way.  It was a little odd, but it worked.

The review would not be complete without mentioning the DMTC orchestra, which sounded better than usual, and the marvelous costumes of Jean Henderson, who must have had a wonderful time putting this show together.  It showed. I loved that all the Kansas costumes were in grey, black and white, saving the explosion of color for Oz.

Bring your kids, bring your grandkids, and bring yourself, if you loved the movie.  You’ll have a wonderful time at this production.

The Wizard of Oz

We’ve all been there at some point, in our imagination.

Somewhere over the rainbow, where there are brilliant colors, munchkins, Winkies, good and bad witches and a yellow brick road leading to the Emerald City. A place where all the dreams that you dare to dream really do come true.

Now, thanks to the first production of the Music Circus season, we can all go there, for real. Whether 7, 17 or 70 the current sparkling production will enchant everyone.

Directed by Glenn Casale, choreographed by Dana Solimando with musical direction by Jeff Rizzo, this version of the L. Frank Baum classic is a real winner.

Adapted by John Kane for the Royal Shakespeare Company in 1987 from the motion picture screenplay, “The Wizard of Oz” will be familiar to anyone who has ever seen the 1939 MGM musical, as the dialog and music follow closely (with some minor adjustments) the music and lyrics by Harold Arlen and E.Y. ("Yip") Harburg.

In the 2003 version of this production, Music Circus paid homage to the original film by making the opening scenes black and white. All costumes were shades of grey or white, set pieces were grey. The only color on stage were the flesh tones of the actors Even the crullers which Auntie Em offered to the farm hands and the hot dog Dorothy’s dog Toto removed from the roasting stick of the traveling huckster, Professor Marvel, were grey. In this production, only Dorothy, her uncle and aunt are dressed in grey, while everyone else, the set, and that hot dog is are muted colors. It’s a design choice that makes no sense.

However, from the time Dorothy lands in Oz, her house flattening the Wicked Witch of the East, until she clicks her ruby slippered heels together and wishes herself back home again, all colors are vibrant and varied and all set pieces are bright and sparkling.

Making her Music Circus debit, Emily Walton is a winsome Dorothy, full of innocence and wonder. She doesn’t try to be Judy Garland, but she so comfortably inhabits the ruby slippers, she doesn’t have to.

Walton’s uncle, Jim Walton, plays the dual roles of the farmhand Hunk in Kansas and the Scarecrow in Oz. He and Emily work well together, and while he doesn’t quite have the boneless quality of Ray Bolger or even 2004′s John Bisom, still he makes a credible scarecrow and best friend to Dorothy.

Shannon Stoeke is Hickory the farmhand and also Oz’s Tin Man. He clanks his way effectively around the stage and is at his most endearing when he learns that the heart for which he has so long hoped is capable of breaking.
Farmhand Zeke and Cowardly Lion are played by Jamie Torcellini. He is perhaps the member of the cast who most does an imitation of the movie, and I must say that his Bert Lahr impression is wonderful, though Torcellini still adds enough of himself to make the role his own.

The best member of this little group of folks off to find the wizard sadly gets no program credit at all, other than a photo. Nigel the dog was perhaps the best Toto I have ever seen. Trained by Bill Berloni, this dog is so well-behaved on stage there were times I wondered if he were a stuffed animal, until he raised an ear or looked around at the audience or up at Dorothy.

When Heather Lee, as Glinda (she also plays Auntie Em) begins to sing to the Munchkins, if you had your eyes closed you might think you were hearing Billie Burke, the original Glinda.

Jacquelyn Piro Donovan scores high marks for her bicycle riding down the Music Circus ramp and onto the stage, and for frightening lots of children in the audience as the Wicked Witch of the West. I did miss the green skin-tone, so identified with the witch, though.

Bill Nolte is a bumbling old curmudgeon as Professor Marvel and later the Wizard of Oz himself.

Others in lesser roles were no less outstanding, such as Doug Carfrae as Uncle Henry and the Winkie General, Zonya Love as the Munchin coroner, tiny John B. Williford as the Mayor of Munchkin city, and Andrew Wilson as Nikko, the Commander of the Monkeys.

The principals are rounded out by a delicious assortment of Munchkins (members of the CMT junior company) trees, poppies, Ozians, optimistic voices and Winkies. There is also a troupe of eight Jitterbugs listed in the program for a number, cut from the original movie and cut, at the last minute, from this production as well.

Kudos to the technical crew who make bicycles, monkeys and broomsticks that fly, balloons that float into the stratosphere, a witch that melts into the floor, an overpowering wizard, a first-rate tornado, eye-blindingly speedy costume changes and a myriad scenery changes, all of which came off without noticeable hitch, the members of the crew were the unsung heroes of the night.

From start to finish this is a wonderful production, which, fortunately is having an extended run at the Wells Fargo Pavilion. Act quickly to get tickets now. Your children or grandchildren will love it — and so will you.