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General News: Wizard of Oz Wows at Willow Ave. School
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| Dorothy talks with the farmhands before her adventure begins. |
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| Auntie Em and Uncle Henry try to talk Miss Gulch from taking Toto, the dog. |
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| The flowers giggle when Dorothy lands in Munchkinland. |
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| Dorothy, the Wicked Witch and the Good Witch. |
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| The scarecrow, the tin man and the lion follow the yellow brick road with Dorothy. |
March 24, 2011
Is there anyone alive who doesn’t love the Wizard of Oz? If so, you’re excused from this weekend’s performance of the classic production by the Willow Avenue Elementary School Drama Club but everyone else would be wise to try to get a ticket to the show (try calling the school at 534-8009).
The young actors, singers and dancers are clearly inspired by this story of a young girl who yearns for meaning in her life, then sets out to find a piece of what is missing to feel whole, and then lands right back in the home from where she started. The beauty of the Wizard of Oz, however, is not just the lesson learned by the whimsical people, lion, scarecrow and tin man whose spirits carry the a message of hope. It is the music, the sets, and the fantasy that have made the show a treasure for generations of young and old.
Maya Mercurio plays Dorothy and, as a wistful young farm girl, she gives an amazing performance, belting out the classic “Somewhere Over the Rainbow” as she wonders if she ever can find happiness. The farm scene is imaginative, with talking pigs, and a caring Auntie Em and Uncle Henry who cannot stop the evil Miss Grinch from taking Dorothy’s beloved dog, Toto.
When Dorothy first lands in the Munchkinland, the giggling flowers, the Lollipop League and the Sleepyheads will keep your eyes riveted on stage. Sheila Konnaris, who is directing the show while teaching her first grade class at Willow Avenue, says that 100 children have a role in welcoming Dorothy to Munchkinland. They will get you laughing and feeling awe as Glinda and the Wicked Witch grab the stage with their magical acts.
As Dorothy heads to find the Great Oz, she encounters a winsome scarecrow who complains that he can’t even scare a crow. A tin man is the next to join the journey to Oz after he joins in a stiff dance with little tin women and laments “if I only had a heart.” By the time the cowardly lion joins the group, the classic quartet hits the road to the Emerald City and you won't want to miss a minute as they travel through a poppy field and get waylaid at the witch's castle before having their wishes fulfilled.
Director Konnaris and her crew of parents and volunteers. led by producer Nicole Roby and stage director Heather Cameron, have done an amazing job. From the farm set to Munchkinland and the Emerald City, the sets evoke the elaborate backgrounds of the classic filmed version of Wizard of Oz. A team of talented parents created the costumes, from Dorothy’s blue-checked dress to the sparkling robes of Madame Victoria and the adorable flowers, crows and talking trees of the forest.
In the program, director Konnaris congratulates all of the young actors: “They worked hard at understanding their characters, they sang their hearts out, and they overcame their fears of performing… because they know that you believe in them, too.”
CLICK HERE TO SEE MORE PHOTOS FROM THE SHOW.
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