Even from the very back row of the jam-packed auditorium, I felt the magic of the childhood classic, “Wizard of Oz,” brought to life onstage in an incredible senior project and show, directed by senior Conor DeVoe.
The free admission production was held in the JC auditorium on April 15 and 16 and filled the auditorium for both performances. People were even turned away from the event. The lead performers, senior Liz Johnson (Dorothy), senior Matt Ridge (Scarecrow), junior Scott Novak (Tin Man), sophomore Thomas Gardner (Lion), junior Stephanie Meadowcroft (Glinda the Good Witch), and senior Ashley Markley (Wicked Witch of the West), all delighted the audience as they effortlessly followed the yellow brick road to portray the classic story with perfection.
The production opened with Dorothy running home with Toto to tell Auntie Em (Meadocroft) about the threats from the evil Ms. Gultch (Markley).
The scene ended with a beautiful rendition of “Somewhere Over the Rainbow” when Dorothy runs away to see Professor Marvel (senior David Scharfe). The scene added a bit of humor to the show right before the real adventure began.
As Dorothy runs home to find Auntie Em, the famous tornado comes. Dorothy is sent to Munchkinland, and if the audience wasn’t already captivated, Glinda the Good Witch gracefully glides onto stage. Everyone from ages four to 18 in the crowd excitedly gasped and gazed at the glitter and presence of Glinda.
Soon, Dorothy is on her way to meet her three new friends Scarecrow, Tin Man and Lion. Though all the characters had great stage presence and strong voices, Gardner, who played the Lion, stole the show with his spot-on mannerisms and humor. And when the four characters linked arms to sing “Off the See the Wizard,” I was blown away.
The second act picked back up with the same charm as Dorothy and company head to the Emerald City. The rest of the story, including the scenes in Emerald City, the Wicked Witch’s castle, and back home in Kansas, were exceptionally good.
Even some of the parts I remembered from the movie that I thought would be hard to portray were done perfectly. All the special effects used, like the sparks thrown by the Wicked Witch of the West to scare the Scarecrow, the “water” thrown on the Wicked Witch to melt her, the fog machines used for dramatic effect and the snow, which dropped from the ceiling to wake up Dorothy and company from the Wicked Witch’s poisoned poppies, were clever and really added to the show.
Every detail, from the impressive costumes of each character and the perfectly choreographed numbers to having a real Toto and colorful set props, was created by DeVoe.
But, through the mesmerizing performance, the small detail that made a huge difference for me was the voices of the characters. When I closed my eyes, I could have sworn the 1939 film was playing. Those that stood out to me in particularly were Glinda the Good Witch (Meadowcroft), the Wicked Witch of the West (Markley) and the Lion (Gardner).
The show and DeVoe rightfully earned a standing ovation. I don’t think that I was the only one who went home after to scrounge up the VHS and watch the movie.
Taylor Schafer is a Features Editor for “The Patriot” and jcpatriot.com.