OREM — With the recent popularity of the movie adaptation Wicked, it is no surprise to see a theatre put on an adaptation of L. Frank Baum‘s classic The Wizard of Oz. This iteration, originally premiering in 1987 London, is based upon the film of the same name with new music and lyrics by Harold Arlen and E.Y. Harburg. While it keeps some of the same songs, it also wonderfully expands on the original score. The final show of the indoor season at the SCERA Center for the Arts pulls out all the stops to recreate the charming classic with nods to the original book. While their spectacle soars, this production of the Wizard of Oz fell short of knocking my slippers off.
Mia Hansen shines as the iconic, ruby-slippered Dorothy Gale. Being onstage nearly the entire show is taxing, but Hansen consistently delivers an endearing performance. Her rendition of “Somewhere Over the Rainbow” is lovely, merging the nostalgia of Judy Garland’s famous Dorothy and adding her own flavor, creating a multidimensional character that took on the world with kindness. Hansen’s charming portrayal of kindness and determination fitfully sustain this production. Additionally, Jared Wilkinson‘s physicality as the Scarecrow is astounding. I don’t even know the names of all the flips he did in “If I Only Had a Brain,” but whatever they were, I was impressed. Wilkinson is also very consistent with a ‘floppy’ style of walking, making the audience believe he is made of straw. Wilkinson’s charisma and clever deliveries make the Scarecrow have a life of its own, making him a standout performer with or without a brain.
Bryan Johnson and Ambrocio Mireles Jr’s line deliveries as the Tin Man and Cowardly Lion, respectively, sound just like their movie counterparts. Johnson holds the stiff Tin Man position for nearly the entire apple orchard scene, and his costume design helps portray an amazingly realistic character of tin. Mireles clearly has a blast every scene he is in, and his exaggerated bawling generates consistent laughs. These two actors pull the core four together, making the song, “We’re Off to See the Wizard” not only fun, but dynamic to watch. Hansen, Wilkinson, Johnson, and Mireles’ chemistry is endearing and makes it clear why they were cast.
Kimberly Nearon’s Wicked Witch of the West is delightful to watch, and Camilla Curtis brings dimension to her Auntie Em. Bryan Harper excels in both his roles of Uncle Henry and as City Guard; his energy is infectious for both distinct characters, giving 110% of his energy in each scene. His son, Jack Harper, was similarly delightful as Nikko the Flying Monkey without uttering a single word.
In her director’s note, Kelsey Mariner Thompson shared that this production boils down to three words: color, movement, and fantasy. These three concepts are thoroughly used throughout the show, but they come at the cost of other important qualities. The choreography by Rebecca Boberg is creative, clever, and whimsical, however the execution is hindered by several cast members dropping their characters to focus on their movement. This was something that happened sporadically throughout the show, and it tended to personally pull me out of the fantasy. I was impressed by the difficult acrobatics and lifts, especially by the children’s ensemble, (who are all exceptional dancers for their age), but at times it seems like these stunts were added to a number for the spectacle rather than the story being told. The ensemble numbers are a spectacle, but would be stronger if the entire ensemble was enthusiastically in character.
The technical aspects of the production fall into a similar vein. Chase Ramsey‘s scenic design is fantastical, especially the Wizard’s monstrous facade with a functioning mouth and eyes. I was delighted by the flying effects seen in Glinda’s magical first entrance, with bubbles accompanying her descent from the ceiling. Mrs. Gulch literally flies in circles around the stage on a bicycle in the tornado complete with Nearon nailing the Wicked Witch cackle. However, the makeup for the non-human characters seems incomplete and a few costumes seem out of place.
While other design elements reached the magical level, the makeup design, by was lacking for some characters, specifically the Scarecrow and the Tin Man being washed out by the bright stage lighting. The makeup and costuming for the Cowardly Lion is wholistic and great, and the little red bow on top was lovely, but the blue button-up shirt underneath the fur layer is a little jarring. These choices were deliberately made to connect the characters to their Kansas counterparts, but it ends up distracting more from the story. The Wicked Witch of the West had enough time for cleaner green makeup, but the makeup I saw was unfortunately very splotchy— it may have been a one-time occurrence, but it looked incomplete. Along with that, the green gloves cut off right before the wrist, leaving a few inches of the actress’s actual skin color visible between the end of her sleeve and the gloves; this was the most distracting element that would take a viewer out of Oz.
Costume designer Kelsey Seaver uses clever and innovative looks for the various ensemble roles – I particularly loved the poppies’ dresses that evoke the appearance of the flower when the actresses crouched down. Other standouts are the crows and the munchkins, with fun and darling designs. These whimsical looks combined with the choreography produces a creative mode of storytelling that matched the oddities of Oz well, executing Thompson’s vision of movement driving the story. This is where I also want to shout out Thompson’s dedication to the book: the emerald city glasses. As a book fan, I appreciated the fun tribute. Considering such a spectacle, I was let down by the occasional drab looks for the creatures of Oz, particularly the jitterbugs. Glinda, Dorothy, and the Wicked Witch’s dresses were gorgeous, though, and the addition of sparkles to the Wicked Witch’s dress was an excellent decision.
All that being said, director Thompson’s vision of movement and color were well represented onstage; those qualities are critical to a show as whimsical as The Wizard of Oz. My final note on the technical side is that the tornado scene is very cleverly executed with the gradual lights, projections, and ensemble members spinning across the stage with cardboard farm animals.
Considering all of this, SCERA’s Wizard of Oz is the perfect family or date night activity. The emphasis on physicality unfortunately made some technical elements and performances suffer, but created an impressive dance spectacle. While this was sometimes distracting for me, I still recommend this production for audiences as they will be thrilled by the magic of Oz that SCERA has brought to life. The Wizard of Oz is a charming reminder of the power of imagination, even in Kansas.
