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General News: The Wizard of Oz Captivates
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| Dorothy! |
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| Director Hilary Vallet with her cue card, SMILE. |
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March 19, 2009
This Friday and Saturday, people lucky enough to get a seat at the Cornwall-on-Hudson Elementary School’s drama club production of The Wizard of Oz, will be transported to that magical land where friendships are made, fears are faced down, and the true meaning of home is discovered.
This year marks the 20th anniversary of the COHES Kids Klub, which was started by four second-graders, Jennifer Mahoney, Tara Carnright, Casey O’Mara, and Mae Radzik, who realized their stage dreams with the first production of The Wizard of Oz in 1989.
This year’s production contains all the excitement of the first young actors whose energy has been guided by a group of parents (and a principal) who each year add to the tradition of the Kids Klub.
The magic of Oz takes hold the moment the house lights dim and the band, lead by musical director Steve Kessler, strikes up the lovely sound of the classic “Somewhere Over the Rainbow.”
Under the direction of Hilary Vallet, with able assistance from Cathy Welch and a team of managers and “wranglers,” the production sings from the moment the actors take the stage.
The first act opens, of course, on the farm in Kansas with Auntie Em and the farm crew who try to comfort the restless Dorothy who dreams of finding her fortune in a trouble-free far-off land. The angry Miss Gulch arrives on cue with her bicycle to take Dorothy’s beloved dog, Toto, and Dorothy’s desire to flee takes her further than she could ever have magined.
Unique to this production is the supporting cast of characters who are in fact mirrors of the lead characters. So at the barnyard you see ten little Dorothy’s playing with the chicks and later, a half dozen miniature Glindas, the good witch, and a handful of scarecrow men and little lions.
When Dorothy lands her house on the wicked witch of the west and meets Glinda, the good witch, the music strikes up again. Beautiful flowers pop up to reveal a world of little people, munchkins, who send Dorothy on her way back to Kansas by telling her to follow the yellow brick. Before she leaves, she is honored by the locals, including the famous Lollipop Boys, and the mayor (played by school principal Kenneth Schmidt), then scared by the wicked witch who wants the magic ruby slippers on her feet.
Those of you who have seen the film version of The Wizard of Oz won’t be disappointed by the production at COH. The scarecrow, the tin man, and the cowardly lion are all there with Dorothy io her journey to meet the Wizard of Oz. There are obstacles on the way, from living trees that pepper them with apples to flying monkeys whose ghastly grins send shivers down the spine.
The Land of Oz sparkles in green in one of the beautiful sets built by a team of parents and other volunteers. Karen Eremin, who has worked with the Kids Klub for more than a decade, oversaw a talented team of seamstresses who created more than 100 elaborate costumes.
The show was produced by Sabine Shrag. The music and lyrics of The Wizard of Oz were written by Harold Arlen and E.Y. Harburg. For more information and show times, click here.
Additional photos here were provided by Margaret Quinn.
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