Before seeing the live production I knew three facts about the Wizard of Oz.
1. In the original book, published in 1900, Dorothy wore silver slippers as she skipped down the yellow brick road.
2. The movie wasn’t supposed to be shot partially in black and white, it was a happy accident. Production ran over and Gone with the Wind took the studio’s color cameras leaving only the black and white cameras for the crew to finish the movie with.
3. I grew up watching this movie and skipping with my mother and sisters singing “We’re Off to See the Wizard”.
That being said, I love this story. Let’s face it if you’re alive and not living under a rock, you know the story. The Wizard of Oz is a classic that is loved by nearly everyone. So how do you take a classic and present it on stage to a modern day audience? Simple, do it well.
At the Dow Event Center in Saginaw, Michigan, it was a treat to see all the little Dorothy’s in the audience and even more fun to find the occasional wicked witch and Glenda. It’s rare to see a show bring out such a large range of ages. From the little ones whose feet dangled far above the floor as they watched the show wide eyed to the parents and even grandparents who laughed, smiled and cheered along with the kids. It seemed that everyone enjoyed the production by this incredibly skilled touring company.
The show opened not in black and white, but in drab shades of brown. The set, the costumes and even the digital windmill background were shockingly colorless. This was a brilliant method of keeping it still realistic looking, while setting up for the change to the Land of Oz. And, never fear, they even figured out how to bring the tornado to life to transport Dorothy on her journey. But that journey could not begin until after Dorothy, played by Cassie Okenka, sang “Over the Rainbow” in a rendition that was so powerful it left me with goosebumps. Okenka not only looked the part, but her sweet speaking and beautiful singing voice captured the essence of Dorothy in such a way that even Judy Garland would have been impressed.
As the story progressed all of the expected pieces came together. Te falling house, the witch’s feet with the ruby slippers, the brilliantly colored Land of Oz, all were present and accounted for. Even Glenda floated onto the set in her shiny pink bubble. The adorable Munchkins were not only played by supporting cast, but also by some very lucky and talented local children from the Saginaw Arts and Sciences Academy as part of the show’s community outreach program. The combination of cast and children blew the audience away with their presentation of “Munchkin Land” and “Ding Dong the Witch is Dead” before sending Dorothy on her way down the yellow bring road.
The casting for the characters of Scarecrow, Tinman and Lion was dead on. Adam Jepsen presented a scarecrow who danced with such fluidity that he appeared not only jointless, but boneless and quite literally made of straw. The Tinaman played by Peter Gosik was believable and his “rusty” introduction to Dorothy was hysterical. Now when it comes to the Lion, he has always been my favorite character. Jesse Colman as the Cowardly Lion may now be my most favorite of all. Coleman was able to capture the personality of Lion along with wonderful body language and movements. The nervous prancing steps, the tail grabbing and even the wonderful Cowardly Lion howls and growls all were dead on. But he somehow managed to make the character even more endearing. During the scene were Lion meets Dorothy and friends and tries to intimidate them with his bravado, the reaction after Dorothy’s “Shame on you!” slap was priceless. His dramatic reaction not only got overwhelming laughs from the audience, but also seemed to leave Dorothy fighting back a few laughs as well.
The story stays pretty true to form, with a few creative additions to keep things flowing onstage. For example, it would have been challenging to have an entire field of poppies grow onstage, so instead the poppies come to life through ballet dancers. They even do a quick change from the red poisoned poppies dress to a white snowy look after Glenda’s magical interference.
You will be delighted by all of the standard songs from the Wizard of Oz, and one new addition. Before the flying monkeys, and yes they did fly, stole Dorothy away from her friends, the Wicked Witch attacked them with Jitter Bugs. It was a cute song with Dr. Suess like characters that had a great dance number. It was a surprising and clever addition.
I would like to take a quick moment to applaud the costume designer. The creativity and construction that went into the numerous costumes was amazing. This was very noticeable in the Emerald City where most of the Ozions costumes had old Hollywood style and elegance.
Another nod has to be given to the trainer of the very much alive and extremely adorable Toto who was in most if not all of the scenes.
The show it self was so well done that at times you forgot that you were watching a live production. The special effects were amazing; the Witch even threw real fireballs at Scarecrow. From whirling tornado to the creeping fog in the spooky Oz forest and the sparks from the Ruby Slippers as the Witch tries to take them from Dorothy, it was all amazingly well done and showed amazing creativity. And I can not leave out mention of the magical disappearing act onstage when the Wicked Witch melts. If I have to pick on something about this show, it’s that it seems so real that a few of the kids in the audience were frightened. However, I noticed that not a single one left and those near me were fully engaged.
If I can borrow a line from the Great Oz to summarize how I felt about this performance “A heart is not judged by how much you love, but by how much you are loved by others”. The audience truly loved this show and that is always the best judge of all.
In addition to the 3 facts I knew about the Wizard of Oz before seeing it live I can now ad a final and fourth fact.
4. If I ever have the chance to see The Wizard of Oz live and on stage again, I will.
If you'd like to see this live performance, visit www.wizardofozontour.com to find a performace date near you.
This item was created by the source, which is solely responsible for its content.
