“The Wizard of Oz”

***** The Metropolis Main Stage is alive and well. While downtown Arlington Heights restaurants are setting records with their amazing dining experiences, the theater ( right in the heart of these restaurants) is getting stronger and stronger. Their current production of “The Wizard of Oz” based on the film is powerful and treats the story as L. Frank Baum would have wanted it done on stage! Under the direction of Tor Campbell, who also did the brilliant choreography, children of all ages ( the lady to my left was 90 and the one to my right was 12). While everyone has seen the film, probably more times than they can count, there is still something special about watching the creativity of a “live performance” and this one is very special.

Under the leadership of Johanna McKenzie Miller and Tiffany Gates, we have seen some terrific work on this stage. For this production, they have the musicians on a loft above the performance allowing the stage to be larger on order to accommodate the tornado that sweeps Dorothy ( Nora Wragg is adorable and her voice is powerful- “Over The Rainbow” is over the top) and Toto ( Cali Spence is perfect) from Kansas to Oz. The clever use of dance to create the wind and the house that is torn apart and moves created by set designer Alyssa Mohn is amazing.

In fact, I must say that this production was more than I could have expected or anticipated. This adaptation by John Kane for the Royal Shakespeare Society is a delight and from start ( almost like seeing the original movie credits) to the finish, the audience, again , of all ages, was loving every detail. The costumes ( Theresa Ham), the lighting ( Sierra Walker) and the sound ( Forrest Gregor) were all right on and Kaitlyn “Thus” Hettinger’s props along with Amber Wuttke’s wigs, hair and make-up helped to complete the picture. Tony Churchill’s projections sure worked to fill in the gaps.

The cast is powerful with each actor taking their role to near perfection. Many of you are aware that every major role is played by an actor who must play at least one other part, and these actor are right on! In addition to the amazing Ms Wragg as Dorothy, we have her three co-horts, the Scarecrow (Nolan F. Robinson II0< the Tinman (David Omari) and of course, the Lion ( Jake Elkins who truly gives a Bert Lahr PLUS performance). We also have Aunt Em/Glinda played to perfection by Danielle Spence and the Wicked Witch/Ms Gulch  as re-created by Geneviève Thiers. Uncle Henry/Guard is well handled by Jared Brandt Hoover and the Wizard/Professor Marvel to perfection by Gabriel Fries.

The ensemble is powerful but the youth ensemble who are great Munchkins deserve some special recognition:

Tommy Balducci, Evie Castiglione, Amara Chhun, Lauren Gerard, Charlotte Graziano, Safie Jordan, Brenley Kramer, Olive McKinney, Bailey Myett, Lily Nelson, Grace Panico, Nora Poteracki, Harper Richards, Charlotte Sewell, Maratea Siegel, Amelia Thompson and Vennela Veesam- great work!

The musicians led by Sharon Mason took us over the rainbow without ever drowning out the singers, and I loved the curtain that was never there in the old days. I know you are thinking ” I have seen the movie 15 times” or I have seen the play ( maybe the mini version) so why bother? I will tell you why! This is a slick, well done production and going as a family would be a great experience and something that you can speak with the kids or grandkids about. You an talk about courage, kindness, love, brains and a whole lot more.

“The Wizard of Oz” will continue at The Metropolis Performing Arts Centre located at 111 West Campbell Street through  August 9th with performances as follows:

Thursdays     7:30 p.m. (added matinee on the 16th and the 30th at 2:00 p.m.)

Fridays         7:30 p.m.

Saturdays   2:00 p.m. and 7:30 p.m.

Sundays     2:00 p.m.

SPECIAL PERFORMANCES

Closed Caption performance 7/18 at 2 p.m.

Sensory-Friendly performance 8/8 at 2 p.m.

ASL Interpreted performance on 7/23 at 7:30 p.m.

Tickets range from $25 and are available at the box office, by calling 847-577-2121 or online at www.MetropolisArts.com.

Arlington heights has plenty of FREE parking and of course, dining is a win-win with lots of great choices.

To see what others are saying, visit www.theatreinchicago.com, go to Review Round-Up and click at “The Wizard of Oz”.