Let’s start with the main point here: The Wizard of Oz is an enjoyable staging of the Baum classic that is faithful to the 1939 movie that gave us all a life-long fear of flying monkeys. Starring the winner of the “Find Me a Dorothy!” Canadian reality TV show “Over the Rainbow,” this show did its job in warming the hearts of all ages, including the little girls rapt in their glittery red shoes.
Oddly, the technical aspects of the show got some of the biggest applause. Well, aside from the very real dog playing Toto, who elicited a collective “awwwww” every time he scampered on to the stage.
The very simple set was augmented by Jon Driscoll’s excellent video projection design, most notable early on when the tornado comes whipping across the stage and swoops up Dorothy’s house, sending it spiraling like the TARDIS into the time vortex (seriously, it looked just like that — paned windows and all. Had to be an inside joke from the Brit design team). The projections also credibly enabled hundreds of flying monkeys to “flock” across the stage and scare the bejeezus out of the red-shoe-wearing audience members.
The show is anchored by Danielle Wade’s sincere, spot-on performance as Dorothy. Wade had the right amount of believable sweetness and innocence without being a caricature. Vocally, it was easy to see why she won the role. She balanced power with nuance, starting with “Nobody Understands Me,” one of the new songs written for this production by Andrew Lloyd Weber and Tim Rice, and then, of course, “Over the Rainbow,” which rang like a bell through the Paramount. Unlike most of the other actors, she remained non-ironic and wink-free, and that served her character well.
When the house drops out of the sky onto the Wicked Witch of the East, we meet Glinda (Robin Evan Willis), who descends from the sky as her sparkly dress covers the entire backdrop. Willis plays Glinda with a flippant air of superiority that would have her fit right in on “The Real Housewives of Orange County.” When the Wicked Witch of the West (Jacquelyn Piro Donovan) arrives, the two (with their soft-serve hairstyles) continue the Real Housewives schtick. Their “gimme the slippers” confrontation seems more like they are having a for-the-cameras argument about tiaras for a kid’s birthday party. You don’t get the sense that much is at stake here. Donovan does deliver her lines with wry timing, making her WWotW more snarky than scary.
Dorothy’s posse is fine. Jamie McKnight’s Scarecrow has great comedic timing and good physical comedy skills. I was a bit let down by Lee MacDougall’s Cowardly Lion. Maybe I’m (unfairly) comparing him too much to Bert Lahr’s over-the-top performance in the film, but MacDougall never seemed to fully embrace the role, ironically, as if he seemed too nervous.
There are a few “wink, wink, nod, nod” moments for the Lion, aimed more at the adults in the audience, including the moment when he stands before the Wizard to announce that he’s “proud to be a friend of Dorothy.”
In the end, all of that really doesn’t matter too much. Wade’s Dorothy makes everything better and ensures that this show will only enhance your love of this classic story. We were pleased to see her ruby red slippers click and clink and grace Seattle with their magic.
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