Off to Sing the Wizard

Yesterday, on 50th Street, I counted 9 Dorothys, 1 Scarecrow, 2 Tin Men, 2 Wicked Witches, and 1 Glinda coming out of the matinee showing of Sing-A-Long- "Wizard of Oz", which just completed a short stint at the Gershwin Theater, future home of "Wicked," the highly anticipated new musical that also has its roots in the "Oz" story. I stood on the corner and watched the parents with children, boyfriends with girlfriends, and partners with partners, all clearly reveling in the experience they'd just shared. All races, all colors, all walks of life. I tried, unsuccessfully, to think of another movie so deeply rooted in American, indeed worldwide, culture that it could bring together such a diverse group of people willing to give up the first really nice day of the summer and pay pretty big money to sit inside and watch a movie they've already seen a hundred times for free. Witnessing this scene as I approached the box office, my excitement for the evening show was piqued.

And I was not disappointed. In our costume parade, we had a grandmother and granddaughter dressed as Dorothy and the Scarecrow, one lone guy as the Yellow Brick Road, and an uncle and niece representing the "Lollipop Guild, " and carrying the hugest fake lollipops I have ever seen. They looked great.

The sense of camaraderie in the theater was so great that I was even willing to forgive the over-the-top antics of our "emcee", dressed as the Oz gatekeeper, whose job it was to get us psyched up and explain the uses for the goodies found in our "participation kits." We had bubbles to blow for all of Glinda's entrances, a kazoo to play along with the familiar Miss Gulch music, a noise maker for the scenes where the Tin Man gets really creaky, and a sparkly wand to wave whenever we witnessed magic.

Magic, of course, happened as soon as the movie began. People were whooping and applauding over the opening credits. No matter how many times you see Dorothy and Toto run up that dirt road, I t always feels like the first time.

And, somehow, "Somewhere Over the Rainbow" just never gets old. Of course, we couldn't actually hear Judy Garland singing, because we were all singing along, loudly and off-key, but that didn't matter at all. Everyone was savoring the moment.

On the whole, the participation cues were predictable. We all knew to scream out "I don't think we're in Kansas anymore, " and we all cackled along with "I'll get you my pretty…" However, I'll admit to being slightly shocked to see my favorite line pop up on the screen. When Jack Haley says "someday they're going to erect a statue to me in this town, " and Clara Blandick says "Well, don't start posing for it now." I always thought that was the funniest line in the movie, and was pleased to see that some others thought so too. The real laughter came, though, when some brave audience member would go it alone and initiate an unexpected response. Like the guy behind me who starting reciting the "Harry Potter" levitation spell as Glinda waved her wand over the ruby slippers. Good one.

We sang, we laughed, we hissed and we blew bubbles. It was a great time.

But, in the end, it all comes down to the fact that after 63 years, The Wizard of Oz is still a fabulous movie. Its lessons never get stale. It reminds us, over and over again about the value of friendship, the rewards of determination, and the undeniable realization that there really is no place like home.