- By Dan Veaner
- Opinions
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Sorceress of the North, Scarecrow and a witch's coffee klatsch
With Judy Garland's performance securely burned into our collective consciousness you would think that nobody else could play Dorothy. Emily Kaplan played her without the vibrato, and in doing so seemed more like a girl from Kansas. It was fun from the first moment to watch her struggle with a stage-shy Toto, and then to watch her gain confidence as she wandered through Oz. She did a nice job of killing the witches, too!
The Middle School crew accomplished the cyclone in much the same way it was technically achieved in the movie, and it was fun to watch it spin across the stage. Sure enough, when the house landed in Munchkin Land, the witch was dead. Ben Veaner's cowardly Munchkin Mayor was humorous as he crept behind a cadre of lesser Munchkins to see if the inhabitant of the house was a powerful witch. He reverted to bombastic when he realized she was just a girl. Kate Schuttenberg was suitably officious as the Munchkin Barrister and Robin Parkins was funny as the Coroner.
The Middle School crew accomplished the cyclone in much the same way it was technically achieved in the movie, and it was fun to watch it spin across the stage. Sure enough, when the house landed in Munchkin Land, the witch was dead. Ben Veaner's cowardly Munchkin Mayor was humorous as he crept behind a cadre of lesser Munchkins to see if the inhabitant of the house was a powerful witch. He reverted to bombastic when he realized she was just a girl. Kate Schuttenberg was suitably officious as the Munchkin Barrister and Robin Parkins was funny as the Coroner.
(top row, left to right) Ian Garnett, Tory Cutting, Chelsea Tucker and Daniel Comisi (next row, left to right) Kate Schuttenberg, Ashley McDonal, Ariel Doan and Emily Kaplan (next row, left to right) Robin Parkins, Ben Veaner and Val Massi (bottom row, left to right) Emily Eisenhut, Mary Bacorn and Nicolo Gentile |
In this version Glinda is "The Sorceress of the North," played by Emily Eisenhut. She had a greater role in the stage version, bailing Dorothy and her pals out of trouble from time to time. But everybody loves the Wicked Witch, and Tory Cutting gave the audience a lot to love. She clearly had fun in the role, using a truly evil voice. I guess a green face and a black wardrobe can turn a girl absolutely cranky!
The trio of Scarecrow (Chelsea Tucker), Woodman (Daniel Comisi) and Cowardly Lion (Nicolo Gentile) made solid companions for Dorothy, and it was a good choice to leave Toto back in Kansas. Nicolo tried a Burt Lahr accent, and his trying made it endearing and funny. The jitterbugs replaced the poppies of the movie as the last obstacle to getting into Oz. That number was filmed, but cut from the movie so it was fun to see here. Another scene with a revolving bridge that thwarts Dorothy and the Scarecrow from crossing a stream also worked well, with bat people turning the bridge on the Wicked Witch's command.
Dorothy and Toto, The Mayor and his Munchkins and the Tin Man
Directors Hibbard and Howell made sure there was plenty of humor in the production. One of my favorite scenes was the witch's coffee klatsch, with the witches trading recipes and comparing brooms, including a souped up Hoover. The Wicked Witch's demise, which I will not give away here, was also very amusing. Suffice it to say it was cleverly done and the audience, young and old, loved it.
The Emerald City
Act Two began with what could be a vaudeville act in which there were too many generals. It might be a comment on unionism gone amok with 20 generals giving orders and just one soldier (Alec Iacobucci) frantically following them until he got fed up and revolted. Once this was done the show got down to business, with a visit to the Wizard (Ian Garnett), who sends the quartet to kill the Witch. before they left Mary Bacorn stood out as Gloria as she toured Dorothy around the Emerald City and sang "The Merry Old Land of Oz."
The Lion, Dorothy and Friend Meet The Real Wizard, and DIrector Hibbard
The three piece combo added a dimension to the show that was very lovely. The three seemed to enjoy playing together, and playing off of one another. Andy Sheef created some very nice effects on the bass, while Brian Emerick was right on spot with the Tin Man's sound effects. The sets were another high point. Colorful and exotic, they made you almost believe you had traveled over the rainbow with Dorothy. The costumes were first rate. Each character was distinct, and they were rightly eccentric to match the characters who wore them. Choreography worked, too. My favorite was the ghosts' dance, in which the ghosts used the streaming tatters of their sheets to best effect.
A cast of thousands... well over a hundread!
All in all the production was something all the kids and adults could be proud of. It definitely holds together and the kids did a great job in a technically complicated stage play. If there are any tickets left you should catch a tornado over to the Middle School auditorium for one of the remaining two performances Today and Saturday (11/11-11/12) at 7:30pm.
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