|
News & ReviewsThe Wonderful Wizard of OzAccomplished Actors Shine in 'Wizard of Oz' Incendiary. A fire alarm emptied the theater during rehearsals of the Fort Lewis College production of Frank Baum's "The Wonderful Wizard of Oz" on both Tuesday and Wednesday nights. Someone forgot to turn off the alarm when they lit the pyrotechnics attached to the Wizard's massive mask that he used to hoodwink the people of the Emerald City. But the production itself didn't quite catch fire. It was a night of standout elements that failed to add up to Oz magic but provided skilled entertainment along the way. Leading the cast as Dorothy, Rachel Gressler was on stage for virtually the entire two and a half hours. She was dressed and made up to recall Judy Garland in the role and didn't put a foot wrong all evening. She sang and acted and provided the central energetic spark to the play. Her Toto was Lelu, a Chihuahua who is the pet of director Laura Bowen. It was Lelu's stage debut, but she hung around obediently in Dorothy's arms for scene after scene and made her entrances on cue. The Dog Whisperer would have smiled. Ginny Davis designed the costumes for the cast of 24, which included 14 talented younger children from around town. At first sight, the costumes had an English feel, as if they'd be suitable for the cast of "Oliver" but Davis said at dress rehearsal she was going for a Tim Burtonesque feel. (Burton is the director of darkly comic films, including "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory" and "Corpse Bride.") She succeeded. One of the standout costumes was for Tara Ivy Sheehan as the Wicked Witch. In a Victorian riding habit with a flounce around the skirt and a Venetian half mask, Sheehan's most impressive moment was a totally convincing meltdown after Dorothy doused her with water. Davis also excelled in her Lion costume for Tiffany Simonton. Simonton made the most of her perky tail to strut compellingly once her character got his courage. Dawson Cole showed off his considerable talent for physical comedy as Scarecrow. He sprawled around the stage as if he were really made of straw. Stephen Juhl accomplished the tricky feat of projecting his performance from behind his restrictive costume as Tinman. Chelsea Winslow glimmered and shed fairy dust as Glinda the Good Witch and nurtured as a chastened Aunt Em who was glad to have Dorothy home. The impressive band, organized by Andreas Tischhauser and conducted by Gary Walker, kept the beat and the fun moving and nailed the first act with a fanfare that lifted the roof off. Their skill formed the basis for happy production dance numbers. The Munchkins stood out in "Ding Dong the Wicked Witch Is Dead" and an innovative band of Jitterbugs, creatures I hadn't known were in the story, danced in the dark with Dorothy and the gang and menaced them at the same time. New Durangoan Laura Bowen has her hands full making her debut here as a director with such a complex play. Her only downfall was the length. The play was distinctly slow, and long. Maybe cuts in the droopy Kansas business (Baum himself is on to the cyclone by page three of the book) or dropping the odd verse of a song might tighten it up. A shorter show would be a plus for the children who will want to come. Nathan Lee let the side down with the sets. There was no Yellow Brick Road, no field of poppies and the beautiful Munchkin land consisted of a single painted background and a stool. The Wicked Witch's castle was more complex but unexciting, relying, as it did, just on gray painted stones. Durango audiences are spoiled for fancy musical productions. They're used to the big-cast, ornate musicals that Mona Wood-Patterson and Charles Ford stage yearly for Durango High School. Maybe the high school and college could mount a joint production with DHS people advising on the sets and FLC on the band? Mightn't that be stimulating for the students and faculty of both places? And think how many tickets they could sell. |