The Show:  

Lions and tigers and bears. Good witches and bad witches and humbug wizards. Munchkins and Ozians and Jitterbugs. Rusting men made out of tin, dancing scarecrows and cowardly lions. And Toto, too! Yes, we have left the drab turn-of-the-century farmlands of Kansas for the colorful and magical Land of Oz – L. Frank Baum’s original American fairy tale that since 1900 has been keeping us all young at heart, thanks in large part to the 1939 blockbuster film of the story’s popular musical version where Dorothy Gale first took us Over the Rainbow.  

The Production:  

Angela Kriese directs this Desert Stages Theatre production, also helping to design the beautiful set along with Laurie Cullity, Mark Honaker, and Beth Rose that uses the theater in the round to draw you from the yellow brick roads of the walls and pillars down to the stage where they all intersect in a magical vortex. The show itself varies a bit more than usual from the film, with a few scenes cut and a few little insertions that give more cast members a chance to shine.  

Of course, Dorothy still takes us Over the Rainbow thanks to Haley Johnson’s sweet and lovely vocals, playing her role with a good mixture of whimsy and wide-eyed innocence and wonder. Kiara Adams is her adorable dog Toto, while her trio of Ozian friends includes Haley Cohn as the brainless and floppy-limbed Scarecrow, Jordan Yampolsky as a gentle Tinman, and Jeremy Yampolsky as a lovable cowardly Lion. Also in their corner, Devon Prokopek glitters as good witch Glinda who says everything with a huge, ever-present smile and amusing sing-song voice no matter how dark or harrowing her words might be.  

Speaking of dark and harrowing, Rachel Redleaf is a riot as the Wicked Witch of the West, using great timing, body language, expressions and voice to terrorize Dorothy and the Munchkins and anyone else who dares get in her way of those ruby slippers. Elsewhere, Kaitlin Randazzo is a motherly Auntie Em, Stephen Sanicola is the humbuggy man behind the curtain, and other good performances come from Matthew Villarreal and Ashley Heinrich as gossiping Ozians, Eila Elton and Elizabeth Johnston as a couple of Munchkins who bravely approach the witch-killing Dorothy, and the humorous civic leaders of the Munchkin city. And the ensemble of Munchkins, Ozians, Tornado Dancers, and Winkies keep our journey through Oz an enchanting one with winning grins and enthusiastic dancing and singing of the memorable songs.

Performed August 19 - September 18, 2011

Rob Hopper
rob@nationalyouththeatre.com
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Executive Director
National Youth Arts

~ Cast ~