PERRY — The Heritage Theatre in Perry, Utah, recently brought the magic of Oz to life with its production of L. Frank Baum’s The Wizard of Oz, using the 1987 Royal Shakespeare Company adaptation with music and lyrics by Harold Arlen and E.Y. Harburg. Given that we are all currently in the long intermission between Wicked and Wicked: For Good, the timing is fantastic. Although Wicked is a grand, spectacle-driven blockbuster, this community theatre Wizard of Oz thrives on nostalgia and its homespun charm, making for an enjoyable evening of classic musical theatre.
Director Beth Bruner clearly has a love for this story, opting to keep every scene and musical number intact, ensuring that the audience experiences the full classic journey of Dorothy Gale. While this decision does allow for a complete telling, it resulted in some pacing issues. Transitions occasionally felt a little sluggish, which dampened the energy at times. A bit more tightening could allow the show to flow more effortlessly.
Caitlin Storm as Dorothy Gale is an endearing and earnest leading lady. C. Storm brings a wide-eyed innocence and warmth to the role, and her rendition of “Over the Rainbow“ is sweet and engaging. Her chemistry with her trio of traveling companions—Scarecrow, Tinman, and Cowardly Lion—felt genuine, and is the heart of the show. C. Storm’s relationship with Toto (all three incarnations) was cute and warm. They say to never work with dogs or children, but all of the dogs and children in this show were absolutely delightful. In Kansas, Toto is played by a docile dachshund that melts the audience’s heart instantly. Once in Oz, Dorothy is joined by actress Jazlynn Braegger as Toto, who adorably embodies the playful pup companion.
Hayley Bell as The Wicked Witch of the West was fantastic as she leaned into the villainy with gusto, but delivered her lines with a precision that found every comedic beat. Her cackling and sinister glares made her an entertaining presence every time she appeared as she managed to strike a perfect balance between being comically wicked and genuinely intimidating.
Of all of Dorothy’s companions, Michael Storm’s Scarecrow was a true standout. His physicality was impressively loose and floppy, fully embodying the character’s hay-stuffed nature. M. Storm’s comedic timing was spot-on, bringing both humor and heart to the role. His rendition of “If I Only Had a Brain“ was not only vocally strong but also packed with charming energy and impressive tap dancing.
Sterling Nelson’s Cowardly Lion has a lot of warmth and humor. Nelson’s delivery of “If I Were King of the Forest” had the audience chuckling at his cowardly ways. I wish his lion’s mane cut further from his back, because some facial expressions got a little lost, but his performance is very genuine.
Lauralye Anderson as the Tinman delivered a solid performance. Her vocals round the group out nicely by having two female and two male voices. Anderson’s lovely singing voice has a lot of vibrato, which brought to my mind the vocal stylings of Adriana Caselotti (Snow White) or Ilene Woods (Blue Fairy), so it really works in this classic show. Despite Anderson’s excellent portrayal of the heartless woodsman, I didn’t connect with Bruner’s direction of the character and how she handled casting a woman in the traditionally male role. Gender-swapped casting is quite common and sometimes it doesn’t change anything about the role, or it can add to or completely reimagine a role. However, the director could not adjust the pronouns of the script to make the character a feminine one. Nor was Anderson costumed with a short-haired wig or a beard to indicate to the audience that she was playing a man. This made the Tinman appear ambiguously cast rather than definitively reinterpreted, creating a mild distraction in an otherwise classic rendition.
Abby Payne-Peterson’s Aunt Em was warmhearted and maternal, and as Glinda she made a pleasant Good Witch of the North with a warm and guiding presence. Chris Ward played both Uncle Henry and the Emerald City Guard with solid comedic timing, bringing lively energy to the latter role. Steven Johansen as the Wizard of Oz had an authoritative presence, convincingly portraying both the mighty and meek sides of the great and powerful figure behind the curtain.
One of the undeniable delights of this production was the adorable ensemble. The Munchkins, played by a group of enthusiastic young performers, were an absolute joy to watch. Their bright costumes and spirited performances made the opening sequences in Munchkinland very fun. Likewise, the Winged Monkeys, while not menacing in the slightest, were utterly charming.
Janelle Wiser’s choreography was simple but effective, particularly in “The Jitterbug,” which is a number cut from the movie, so it will probably be new for a lot of audience members. Bruner’s choice to use blacklights transformed the stage to make this number visually stunning and brought lively energy to the second act. Some of the costumes are really fantastic. I loved that while in Kansas everyone was clothed in black and white. Then David Bruner’s lighting design used colored gels to transition to a technicolor land of Oz, where everyone’s costumes were full of life and color. The costuming is generally very good and I especially liked the green costumes of the Ozian citizens. I do wish that Tinman and Glinda’s costumes could be enhanced as they were ill-fitting and made a weak spot in the production design, however, I know this is a difficult show to costume on a modest budget. The budget for props may have been modest as well, but I adored the Oz Head designed by Celeste Reese and Bruner that cobble together totes and bric-a-brac to give the puppet a lot of whimsy and charm.
The Heritage Theatre consistently delivers community theatre that delights the audience. While the production may not have the spectacle of Wicked, it certainly succeeds in transporting the imagination to Oz and delivers an evening of heartfelt performances and nostalgic fun for the whole family. The musical numbers were beautifully sung across the board, with particularly strong ensemble harmonies. Even with some pacing missteps, the production had a warm sincerity that made it easy to love. For all of us aching to return to the land of Oz, this Wizard of Oz proves that sometimes, even without all the bells and whistles, there’s no place like a charming community theatre to bring a beloved classic to life.
(Editor’s note: changes have been made to this review to reflect that the theatre could not make any changes to the script, including pronouns.)
