‘The Wizard of Oz’ — Written by L. Frank Baum. Directed by Robert W. Schneider. Music and Lyrics by Harold Arlen and E.Y. Harburg; Background Music by Herbert Stothart. Presented by North Shore Music Theatre, 54 Dunham Road, Beverly through July 20.
By Shelley A. Sackett
North Shore Music Theatre continues its streak of winners with The Wizard of Oz, a spectacular extravaganza of a show that has everything going for it — top-notch talent, a stunning set, spot-on direction, clear and understandable sound, clever costumes and lighting, marvelous choreography, and a bang-up live orchestra.
Oh, and did I neglect to mention its iconic theater-in-the-round stage, which is used to maximum effect throughout the nearly three-hour (one intermission) show?
Even those who think they are too jaded to enjoy yet another go round of the same story should hightail it to Beverly and catch this version, which is infinitely more enjoyable than the recent film and Broadway versions combined.
As the lights dim, five overhead surround theater screens counsel that this production is dedicated to the young at heart. As they fade to Kansas fields of grain, Dorothy (a fabulous Bridget Delaney) comes skipping down the aisle, followed by Toto (the equally fabulous Bug Minnie). Eye-winking foreshadowing is a nice addition to the familiar story about Dorothy’s conk on the head during a tornado, her journey to Oz while out cold, and her return to Kansas with renewed appreciation that there is “no place like home.”
Farmhand Zeke/Cowardly Lion (E. Mani Cadet) plays with the rope in his hand the same way he will later swish his lion’s tail. Hickory/Tin Man (Sean Bell) plays with a tin funnel on his head and Hunk/Scarecrow (Ethan Carlson) walks across the stage carrying a scarecrow. Setting the stage for who the characters will become in Dorothy’s dream, these little touches lend a nuanced humanity to their fictional avatars.
Choreographer Briana Fallon, costume coordinator Rebecca Glick and wig and hair designer Rachel Padula-Shuflet deserve huge shout outs for the way they interpreted many of the static events of the story, starting with the staging of the tornado. As the overhead screens project twisters, dancers clad in shades of gray skin tight leotards swirl and twirl across the stage carrying pieces of debris. The concept is brilliant, its execution breathtaking. This team will later gift the audience with orange spat footed crows, a sassy showgirl trio of talking apple trees, a scarlet field of dancing poppies, bejeweled snowflakes and, of course, flying monkeys.
While the second act predictably drags a bit (what second act doesn’t?), the familiar songs (“Ding Dong! The Witch Is Dead,” “Over The Rainbow,” “Follow The Yellow Brick Road,” among them) and the fabulous talent temper any lull with freshness and upbeat excitement. As Almira Gulch/Wicked Witch of the West, Michele Ragusa is spellbinding. Her vocal chops and comic timing are impeccable (plus she really knows her way around a theater-in-the-round such that her time with her back to any section is unnoticeable). Kerry Conte (Aunt Em/Glinda) shines as Glinda, her voice like a wave of a pink crystalline wand.
And then there is elder statesman David Coffee (Professor Marvel/The Wizard), beloved Scrooge in NSMT’s A Christmas Carol. There is even an inside joke (“You’re a humbug,” one character chides him) which the adoring crowd ate up in spades.
Perhaps the true unsung heroes of the evening is the ensemble of munchkins, a corps of the most adorable and proficient youngsters (a standout is Ashley Fox, a rising 8th grader worth following). Kudos to the team that prepared them.
Finally, no musical theater review would be complete without a tip of the hat to its music director (Matthew Stern). The jazzy number that opens Act II outside the Emerald City, complete with green costumes, tap dancing and a clarinet solo, is a particular knockout.
By the time Dorothy mouths those famous words, “There’s no place like home,” the audience is ready to agree — especially if that home is North Shore Music Theatre.
For more information, visit: https://www.nsmt.org/oz.html
