Review: There's No Place like the Academy Playhouse for THE WIZARD OF OZ

What can you say about The Wizard of Oz? There is so much about its heartwarming nature, complete with a simple lesson learned and the sheer magic involved in making that happen that have brought many to profess their love of this musical for generations which is, in essence, a wonderful story that tugs at the heartstrings ever so slightly. From an adult who grew up watching the well-known 1939 movie starring Judy Garland to a child who may have read L. Frank Baum's book about the strange adventures of one Dorothy Gale and her "little dog" Toto in their quest to find their way back to Kansas, the pure innocence of this tale creates a world that many have found (and continue to find) fascinating. Admittedly, Garland and her original team had set a precedent for how people will forever witness this story told, and to recapture that essence in another form would therefore be quite a difficult task.

Yet, what happens when this all the story's beloved pieces come together on stage - when the glee and jubilations of Munchkinland, a vengeful wicked witch and the persistent friendship and hope shared amongst four weary yet anxious travelers are transported onto the stage for all to witness in true colors and magnificent beauty (even BEFORE Dorothy finds herself over the rainbow)? What magic unfolds when Dorothy and her loyal friends stand in front of an audience and move everyone with the tangible truth of their camaraderie, proving that love is what we are all basically clicking our heals and wishing for?

Luckily, the Academy Playhouse (Academy of Performing Arts) has brought this beloved story with its memorable array of musical numbers to the Cape, also bringing with it the warm, familiar feel of the movie while doing well to re-introduce the story in vivid new colors, providing the group's unique spin on the classic version we all know so well.

The Playhouse is one of the Cape's go-to theaters to see a guaranteed thoroughly entertaining show of professional quality, often times with the familiar faces and talents of those actors who return to be a part of many a show on its stage. APA's shows are beautiful in their execution, and due in part to their taking place in the intimate space provided by a blackbox theater, focus on the truest and most fundamental forms of storytelling in a space where the audience is close enough to have a given story become a sort of reality to them. This time around APA's current production of The Wizard of Oz is not only the perfect way to spend a rather precious few hours at the theater, watching the show's treasured plot come to life in a way only Director Peter Earle can muster, but watching this show being performed provides more than sufficient reason for anyone to believe in the sheer beauty of what good community theater can instill within its audience.

Earle, who has directed many shows at the Academy including recent hits Sweet Charity, Man of La Mancha and Sweeney Todd, returns to bring his vision of Oz to a Cape Cod audience, and he does a beautiful job capturing the two extremes of this story: the hope, anticipation and love experienced by Dorothy and her friends in their quest to seek out the magical city of Oz and ask the Wizard for what each truly desires and is therefore "lacking" (although this is hardly true from the start), and on the other end the fear, revenge-ridden dark world of the wicked witch who wants the power of the ruby slippers - a profound, almost incomprehensible power that Dorothy possesses but hardly knows anything about. Watching Wizard being performed on stage - something I haven't personally seen done until now - brings about many "real-life" questions for a plot with such fantastical and seemingly unrealistic elements to it, and having this quest towards Oz unfold before a live audience is really something to experience, especially if you are looking for a production that will make you happy your curiosity about this show got the best of you.

The Wizard of Oz follows the young Dorothy Gale, upset that her parents and friends would betray her trust and allow the menacing Ms. Gulch to take Toto, her canine companion and best friend, from her arms, decides to run away but after learning that doing so is breaking her poor Aunt Em's heart, hurriedly returns home only to be knocked unconscious by a twister and transported to that special place "over the rainbow" where troubles are obsolete and everyone is allowed to be "free." Yet, she must come to terms with her erroneous idea of "the grass is always greener on the other side" when her house falls on the Wicked Witch of the East , sparking the rage of the deceased's maniacal sister who wants nothing more than to harness the power of a special pair of ruby slippers for her own evil use. Glinda, the good witch in the land, directs Dorothy along the yellow brick road to the land of Oz in which lives the great Wizard who will grant her wish and return her home to Kansas. On the way she meets some interesting characters: Scarecrow, who yearns for a brain, the Tinman, who wants a heart and the Cowardly Lion who speaks of nothing but his fear of everything he confronts in life. The Wizard of Oz is the story of what happens on the group's trip to Oz, the trials faced by those who truly desire something beautiful and the lessons learned at the end of it all - all wrapped up in a charming tale that is perfect for audiences of absolutely all ages.

The Academy's production of Wizard is unique in so many ways: from the beautiful swirl of colors painted onto the stage itself and surrounding the yellow brick road which diverges in different directions, to the projections which, with each scene, set the perfect tone for time and place and make use of the intimate blackbox to its full potential. The audience really feels like it is there in Munchkinland one moment and then next is transported to the Haunted Forest and then to the magnificent city of Oz. The simplicity of the theater mixed with the actors' full capability of conveying the story in such a wonderful way has always amazed me, and this show, with its minimalistic use of physical set pieces and props, is no different.

Much credit must be given to the actors involved in this production; from the youngest child (little Dustin Gosselin, who just turned four!) to the many adults involved, everyone has a part to play in Dorothy's journey to Oz. Dorothy, a role shared by both Morgan Dexter and Alanna Hartsgrove, is a tough character to play because of the need for her to remain hopeful and innocent when she should gradually be getting flustered and a bit removed from her comfort zone when she is forced to make many adult decisions as soon as she makes her way over the rainbow. Morgan plays Dorothy a little less vulnerable and sweet than the character is remembered to be and gives Dorothy a bit of a backbone - a wonderful way to play the character indeed. Meanwhile, Alanna portrays the sweet, worrisome Dorothy that equally as worried as she is amazed by what is unfolding before her. Both actresses do a splendid job in bringing out two sides of a single character and at such young ages understand what it means to make an acting choice and stick to it.

Geof Newton as Hunk and the Scarecrow is the perfect actor to portray the wobbly, uncertain and most charming "man" of the trio Dorothy meets along her way. His constant movement on stage sometimes leaves him out of breath, but he gets that song out while flopping away on stage and doing it just really, really well. Alexander Perry as Zeke and the Cowardly Lion is everything you can want the Lion to be. He has really honed in on what it means to play this character, and not only is his costume perfect, but his portrayal of the beast who scares himself silly is something out of the movie mixed with his own added comedy that makes him playing this role so downright funny to watch. Zane Bender as Hickory/the Tinman plays his character with the composure and a bit of emotional rigidity needed to match the physical hard exterior of his character, but there is a very gentleman-like quality that Zane brings out that I really took note of and enjoyed watching; he is more human than he thinks, even though he claims to have lost his heart. Sara Sneed as the witch is perfect - just seriously perfect. She does her job in scaring those around her (with both her thunderous entrance and her constant cackle), and she really brings out the green in the witch's eyes; indeed, she was very well cast.

Special mention must also be given to Sheila Dexter (Aunt Em), Uncle Henry (Paul Bender), Professor Marvel/the Wizard of Oz (Paul Widegren), Glinda (Ellen Birmingham), Toto (good job Buddy Knowles!), and the Munchkin and Osian Ensembles (both groups look and sound great as they bring their very colorful selves to accompany many memorable group numbers. Katherine Pettit-Quigley and Breyana Newton return to do a phenomenal job stage managing and Music Director Christopher Morris on piano leads Don Sanzo on bass and Dick Stocks on drums through the few but engaging musical numbers, and the sound coming from the pit is wonderful, as always; I wouldn't expect otherwise.

So, if you really want to see a show where there is clear effort on behalf of all involved to bring about the story of Dorothy's epic trip to Oz, then please consider the Academy Playhouse's/APA's production of The Wizard of Oz. Performances began on February 26th and will continue thru March 26th. Shows are will Friday and Saturday at 8:00, with a Sunday matinee at 2:00; starting on March 10th, Thursday evening performances will be added. Tickets are $24-26 and can be purchased by visiting the theater (located at 120 Main Street in Orleans), by calling (508) 255-1963 or by heading on over to www.apacape.org. Light refreshments and candy will be sold during intermission and parking is available on site.

Enjoy the show!

Photo Credit: Jefferey Moore

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