Many of us grew up watching Dorothy Gale’s adventures with her dog, Toto, in the classic film The Wizard of Oz. This weekend, Holland Theatre and Windmill Productions are bringing the story to life in a delightful show the whole family will enjoy.
Performances are Friday, Feb. 7, and Saturday, Feb. 8, at 7:30 p.m., with a matinee on Saturday at 2 p.m.
Even if you’ve seen the movie, the youth edition of the musical still has something new, including the “Jitterbug” song, which didn’t make the final cut of the 1939 film, and a reprise of “Over the Rainbow.”
With 44 cast members in sixth to eighth grade and dozens of people helping behind the scenes, the team has gone all out to create an entertaining experience. And it really is a production.
From the high-energy actors to the strong vocals to fun dance sequences, the show is 60-plus minutes of fun. But that’s not all.
“We’re using new projector technology,” Linda MacGillivray, music director, said. “We didn’t have enough room for backdrops and projecting from the back of the theatre wouldn’t work either. But we found a way to shoot it down onto the back of the set from above the stage.”
This technology provides background scenes throughout the performance. It even immerses the characters into the tornado.
Set in 1931, The Wizard of Oz tells the story of Dorothy Gale (Eva Wilson, Bellefontaine Middle School (BMS), seventh grade), who lives with her Aunt Em and Uncle Henry on a Kansas farm. Dreaming for a chance to see what it’s like somewhere “Over the Rainbow,” Dorothy gets caught in a twister, which hurtles her into the whimsical land of Oz.
There she meets a Scarecrow (Garrett Gossard, BMS, sixth grade) wanting a brain, a Tin Man (Charlie Moreland, homeschool, eighth grade) in need of a heart, and a Lion (Oliver Jarvis, Calvary Christian School, eighth grade) trying to survive forest living without any courage.
Together with Toto (Kaya Lowe, homeschool, sixth grade), the group sets off for the Emerald City in hopes of getting what they need from the great and powerful Wizard of Oz. On the way, they meet Munchkins, Glinda the Good Witch (Kayla Tracey), the Wicked Witch of the West (Diana Martinez), flying monkeys, angry trees and jitterbugs.
The musical includes all the songs we know and love, like “We’re Off to See the Wizard,” “Yellow Brick Road” and “If I Were King of the Forest.”
One other difference from the film is they have an actress portraying Toto during the fantasy scenes. But when Dorothy is in Kansas, the directors brought in a real dog for the part—a sweet mixed-breed pup named Dottie that belongs to Anne Brienza.
As in other years, the annual junior musical has brought actors together from all over the region, including five Logan County schools, plus students from West Liberty-Salem and Urbana along with 11 homeschooled participants.
“We have a lot of eighth-graders and returning kids,” MacGillivray added, “so it’s been raucous from the beginning.”
Still, Laura Atwood, one of the show’s three directors, said, “They know their parts and they do them really well.”
Helping MacGillivray and Atwood are Maria Stolly and Tom Stoner, directors; Suzanne Dennis, choreographer; Quinten James, technical engineer; and Nancy Magnuson, set designer.
That’s not all. Numerous actors from previous junior musicals signed up to help with the stage crew and spotlights.
The large cast requires hundreds of costumes, with some actors wearing three or four different ones. That took a lot of work from costume coordinator Rebecca Browning.
Makeup coordinator Nikki Burkhamer has her hands full too, even with six people working beside her to ensure all the various makeup requirements are taken care of. They also have five volunteers doing hair.
Though seats are going fast, you still have time to purchase tickets at theholland.org or call 937-592-9002.