“The Wizard of Oz” reviewed by Julia W. Rath

*****Big Noise Theatre’s “The Wizard of Oz” is a dazzling spectacle! Energetic and powerful, this musical version of L. Frank Baum’s book is sure to delight you and your children. The current show has been adapted from the 1939 movie by John Kane (for the Royal Shakespeare Company) and preserves the original music by Harold Arlen and E.Y. Harburg and background music by Herbert Stothart. It also contains additional music lifted from the movie’s cutting-room floor, including a song called “The Jitterbug.”

I cannot say enough good things about this production! I was impressed by the way it was put together, from the smart directing by Kate Leonard to the bold choreography by Wesley Bradstreet. Vocal direction by Nellie Shuford could not have been better, not to mention the fine supervision of performance music by Henry Allan. The singing voices are wonderful; the dancing is fantastic; and the music is both fabled and singable. The imagery in this show is marvelous: from the sets, to the costumes, and, of course, to the special effects! And needless to say, there’s the plot: an imaginative adventure which is thoroughly engrossing.

Since both the story and the movie “The Wizard of Oz” are so iconic, I didn’t feel the need to write a plot summary. So instead of focusing on the storyline and the characters per se, this review will go in a different direction. I intentionally chose to attend a Sunday afternoon matinee where lots of young children would be present in the audience. So in addition to watching the performance, I was observing the children’s reactions. Would little ones be able to pay attention to a musical that was billed as being 2 hours and 20 minutes with one 15-minute intermission? Could they sit still for this length of time? And what would they think of the show?

Having said that, top billing goes to Emily Wunderle, who plays a winning Dorothy Gale. “I loved her so much,” said one little girl at the end. “Dorothy is the best!” “What a succinct way of putting it!” I thought. With her beautiful singing voice and pleasant demeanor, Wunderle (with her highly appropriate last name) enchanted the children, much as the pied piper would do. Dorothy’s affection for her dog Toto and for her friends and family is loving and easy-going, and her responses are genuine and relatable when she gets mad at the Wizard (Sawyer McLeod) and especially at the Wicked Witch (Lucy Zarns, who is so superbly and deliciously malicious). Then too, I overheard a mother asking her little boy, “What was the best part of the show?” And he replied, “The Scarecrow.” “Absolutely!”, I thought. I cannot say enough good things about Aidan Sternberg’s incredible performance. Sternberg reminded me so much of Dick Van Dyke, with his supple body and great ability to do physical comedy, plus he’s a great dancer with a great voice. A very bright future lies ahead of him.

Other actors include: Brian Kulaga (Tin Man), Ben Weiss (u/s Cowardly Lion), Kat LaCombe (Glinda, the Good Witch/Auntie Em), and Travis Monroe Neese (Uncle Henry), together with an extremely talented ensemble.

All throughout are the amazing special effects! One child brought up the cyclone as being their favorite part of the performance. I won’t ruin it for you, but the cyclone doesn’t just appear on the stage. We also see the results of the whirlwind: from the movement of the Kansas house owned by Auntie Em and Uncle Henry to the activity that follows in Dorothy’s dream sequences, prominently featuring the yellow brick road. Scenic designer and charge artist David Geinosky has done a bang-up job creating all sorts of mobile sets together with prop designer Carol Lee Wax. Also, due to the skillful work of Alexa Wiljanen, we see an array of gorgeous lighting effects, plus a rainbow in varying colors over the stage, which grounds everything.

I cannot speak highly enough about the costumes, created by Martha Shuford, Mary Nora Wolf, Kristen Brinati, and Jessi Rodriguez, and the hair and wig design by Roberto Puig. I especially loved the detailed garments being worn by the ensemble to represent the natural world, from the apple trees to the crows and the jitterbugs (which incidentally, are based on actual creatures and not just on the dance craze from the 1930s and 1940s). The flowered umbrellas held up by the poppies are colorful and fun. Dorothy’s black and white checkered overalls are distinctive and work well for this show. The Scarecrow’s costume is meant to look like Raggedy Andy: nicely done with its bright colors. Glinda’s costume and that of the Wicked Witch are ideal! But I wasn’t fond of the fact that the Cowardly Lion wore a heart on his chest (because that was a bit confusing, since the Tin Man wanted to obtain a heart). Speaking of the Tin Man, I had the most problem with his outfit. A rust-color would have served better than the “prison orange” trim on his gray fabric. Furthermore, his headgear made him look too much like a space alien.

Yet the most significant fault had to do with the sound level this past Sunday. When the performance began, I carefully watched this one little girl about three years old with her fingers in her ears. She wasn’t the only one. It was so loud at the beginning that my earplugs were insufficient. Things got better towards the end of the first act but not perfect. The second act started out at perhaps the correct volume.

Then there was this one little boy in the row ahead of me, who was maybe six years old, noticing things even before I did—and he would point them out, presumably to his sister. He was the first to notice the ruby slippers peeking out from stage left and the bubbles coming down from the ceiling. Also nearby in the audience was a little girl around seven who was in rapt attention, sitting on the edge of her seat all through the show. Lots of children were keenly aware of everything happening on stage. I was waiting for a parent to walk out with a crying child or a badly behaved one, but the kids were good on the day I was present. Ironically, it was the parents who were more of an issue, that is, from the perspective of a complete stranger. I saw a father constantly tapping his son on the shoulder to see how he felt about the show. I saw a mother placing a little girl of about four years old on her lap even though the girl didn’t seem to need that comfort (but obviously, the mother did).

It goes without saying that Dorothy’s interaction with Toto always tugs at the heartstrings of the audience. In this production, a very well-mannered dog (that looked like a shih-tzu/poodle mix) was brought into the Kansas scenes—and whose puppet equivalent for the dream sequences was equally well-behaved. While there are lots of fun moments in this show, we, as adults have perhaps become more sensitized to the cruelty of Almira Gulch and the Wicked Witch since the time when we were children. There were moments when I wondered whether it was even appropriate for those at such tender ages to witness this evil. But as Bruno Bettelheim once wrote, it is through fairy tales that children learn to adjust to life’s realities.

We all know that children are children and occasionally fidget. Yet there was always something happening on stage to attract their curiosity and keep them engaged. So not only were the kids happily entertained but the adults too, many of whom had previously seen “The Wizard of Oz” in its various forms over the years. And I found myself singing several songs in the car while driving home—and I couldn’t believe how well I remembered all the words!

So be off to see the Wizard and the Big Noise Theatre production. Just remember that life is always a journey and that the magic is already within you!

“The Wizard of Oz” is playing through May 10, 2026, at Prairie Lakes Theater, 515 E. Thacker Street, in Des Plaines (inside the Prairie Lakes Community Center).

Tickets:

$35 – Adults

$30 -Seniors (65+)

$30 – Students

$25 – Children (12 and under)

Performance schedule:

Fridays and Saturdays at 7:30 p.m.

Sundays at 2:00 p.m.

(Note that some performances may already be sold out.)

For more information about this and other shows by Big Noise Theatre, visit: https://bignoise.org/.

To purchase tickets, see: https://ci.ovationtix.com/2612 or contact the Box Office at 847-220-7268.

Special rates are available for groups of 15 or more. Use code GROUP or call 847-220-7268 for more information.

Big Noise Theatre and Prairie Lakes Community Center are accessible to all persons with disabilities. If you require wheelchair-accessible seating, or would like additional information on accessibility, please contact the Box Office at 847-220-7268.

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