The Wizard of Oz

From Sept. 6, 2000 issue of the
Highline Times/Des Moines News

"Yellow brick road leads to Highline Performing Arts Center"
By Maggie Larrick TIMES/NEWS

Follow the yellow brick road into a world of wonders where trees talk and houses fall from the sky to slay witches as the Hi-Liners spin their magic with "The Wizard of Oz RSC Version" at the Highline Performing Arts Center.

Performances are at 7:30 p.m. Friday, Sept. 8, Saturday, Sept. 9, Friday, Sept. 15, and Saturday, Sept. 16 plus a matinee at 1:30 p.m on Sunday, Sept. 17.

An imaginative approach to performing a movie on stage and an amazingly strong cast ranging in age from 9 to 20 turn this show into a feast for the eyes and ears.

The show begins, like the movie, in black and white. The Kansas home of the central character, Dorothy, is painted in black and white on a backdrop. When the tornado lifts Dorothy out of Kansas and drops her into the Land of Oz, the backdrops and sets abruptly bloom into to full color to show the change of locale, again mimicking the movie.

Director Kathleen Edwards admits "it's insane to transfer a movie to the stage." One of the trickiest transitions from film to live theater is figuring out how to do the special effects. While some of the screen sorcery cannot be reproduced, the tricks Edwards employs are equally enchanting.

She draws on a variety of Japanese theater techniques that create pleasing surprises throughout the play. A puppeteer assists Dorothy in manipulating a stuffed toy to represent Dorothy's dog Toto. When the Wicked Witch tries to burn up the Scarecrow, a dancer leaps at the quivering straw man swinging a ball of fire made of sparkling mylar in reds and oranges.

Choreography by Stacy J, lighting by Judy Wolcott and music directed by Brian Higham also conspire to add their spell. One of the best moments is when the Wicked Witch is creating the poppies to put Dorothy and her companions to sleep. Red light infuses the stage as dancers representing the lethal flowers whirl onto the stage and around the travelers while the chorus croons a dangerously seductive song.

Audiences who enjoyed the last Hi-Liners' production, "Grease," will spot several familiar faces traipsing through Oz, although some of them may be difficult to recognize beneath their makeup and prosthetics.

Sporting a properly witchy nose, Jessica Low takes her work as the snobby cheerleader in "Grease" to a higher plane as a Wicked Witch who revels in her clever deceptions.

The actors playing the principal characters are as much larger than life as their screen counterparts. Their antics are a pleasure to watch as they take on the body language and physical traits of their characters.

James Scheider, who played the Teen Angel in "Grease," is suitably rubber-limbed and clutzy as the Scarecrow. Krystle Armstrong, who played the feisty Doody in "Grease," is a lock-kneed, awkard Tinman.

Cameron Johnson is convincingly transformed from his role as the nerd Eugene in "Grease" into a Lion who blusters and puffs his chest out to cover his cowardice.

Chandra Farnsworth is an optimistic but not overly sweet Dorothy. All of them are blessed with strong voices.

Even the minor roles are a delight, with performers waddling around the stage like crows to harass the Scarecrow or taking on the posture of trees to fight with Dorothy over their apples.

While there are many versions of this classic story, the Royal Shakespeare Company version is the only one identical to the movie both in score and script. The audience will remember the songs, like "Somewhere Over the Rainbow," from the screen.

Although this may be the most technically difficult production staged by the Hi- Liners, the cast and crew seem to have overcome the obstacles.

Ticket prices are $12 for adults, $9 for students and senior citizens, and $6 for children ages 12 and younger.

Tickets are available at Dick's Camera in Burien and on-line at hi-liners.org.

The performing arts center is located at 401 S. 152nd St.