Off to see the wizard, we all can be kids again
Record-Eagle Review, August 13, 1992
Marguertie Cotto

You know all the good lines by heart. You can sing every song. You know the fate that awaits each character. In fact, even if you think you're more like the stern-voiced "Oh Great Wizard
of Oz" than an ever-smiling "Glinda the Good Witch of the North," you probably still sneak a peek at the movie over your kids' shoulders and get a little something in your eye when you hear "Somewhere Over the Rainbow."
So, indulge yourself. Grab the kids , grab some friends and their kids and take the shortest path to Old Town Playhouse's summer production of L. Frank Baum's "The Wizard of Oz."
Well accompanied with my trusted technical advisors in matters of family productions, I watched an audience filled with families of all ages indulge in the adventures of Dorothy, the Scarecrow, the Tin Man and the Cowardly Lion. In this production, the familiar is recharged by the very successful technical staging and by the evident enthusiasm and care for visual and musical detail.
Director Chad Larabee has taken on the challenging demands of making one of the most familiar film stories of all time into an original theatrical experience. He has a wonderful cast to work with, but I have to comment first on the fact that he has assembled one of the largest and obviously enthusiastic technical crews I've seen for a production at Old Town Playhouse. Music, lights, set, props, sounds, costumes, you name it and it was there, at the right time, the right place, and in full support of the actors on the stage.
And for a show like this, the freshness is essential.
There are solid voices on the stage, starting with Rachael Lardie taking on a listener like me, who can only hear Judy Garland's voice singing " Over the Rainbow," and getting me to listen and to see that "wishing" Kansas sky.
Fred Szczepanski as the Scarecrow is wonderful to listen to as well, his clear diction and powerful voice filling all the corners of the theater. Glinda, played by Cindy Monroe, has a great voice and certainly the most original stage presence of the entire cast. Everyone loved her.
Drew Rockey as the Tin Man is a softer voice in the trio of friends with a touch of melancholy that says more about his plight without a heart than any line ever could. Orvilla Heck fills the Cowardly Lion with all the classic gestures we expect, although the search for the perfect "accent" was distracting, yet she makes you wish the Lion had another song in there somewhere.
There are wonderful Munchkins who fill the stage with their movements and their voices. Their delivery and cues are right on the money as they ponder the mystery of the death of the Wicked Witch of the East and the origins of Dorothy and her magical flying house. Director Larabee has assembled a strong supporting cast with playhouse newcomers and veterans alike who all seem to be having a good time.
Michael Kay's set design creates some wonderful images, particularly in the second half of the show and in conjunction with excellent use of lights. Without detracting from the overall accomplishment for the show, there are moments in the second half where the pacing and the movement seems hindered by limitations of space on the stage itself.
Given the design, I think the director needed to be more aggressive in moving his cast through the set elements and giving greater focus to the acting rather than to the effect. At one of the moments where action is essential to the story, the movements became awkward and flat. It's one of the few moments in the show when the audience can be pulled away from the magic he has been crafting for us.
My advisors, who like to be thought of as crusty and worldwise kids, had a blast. Adults, who looked pretty serious before the lights went down, were singing along shamelessly by the end of the show. Be a kid again. Don't miss this show.
"The Wizard of Oz" continues tonight, Friday, Saturday, Aug. 19-22 and 26-29 with 8 p.m. performances on the Old Town Playhouse mainstage. Tickets are $10, with special student and senior rates of $7 for Wednesday and Thursday evenings. Order tickets by calling 947-2443 from 4 to 8 p.m. Monday through Saturday.

Marguerite Cotto Is a local playwright and actress, and a Spanish Instructor at Northwestern Michigan College.