STAGE – The Marvelous Land of Oz

RYAN:This is the first time I’m reviewing a live stage production and I’m happy to be joined by my pal Nathan Sawtelle, who is befitting this review since like me, he read all fourteen of the original Oz books by L. Frank Baum.  Recently we attended a performance of a new, original, stage musical written and directed by Anthony Whitaker, based on the sequel to The Wizard of Oz book, The Marvelous Land of Oz.

NATHAN: I was much more impressed by this show than I thought I would be.  It’s a fantasy story that can’t be easy to bring to life on stage, especially in a black box theater.  Going in with realistic expectations, I was really impressed.  I liked the music.

RYAN: I agree.  We certainly managed our expectations and it’s great to admit this show exceeded them.  For all that this is an independent, small-budgeted production, I was very impressed with what they accomplished.  The music – melodies and lyrics – worked brilliantly.

NATHAN: The music really captured the humor and sensibility of L. Frank Baum.  We know Baum loves puns.  He used them throughout the Oz books.

RYAN: There was an entire song about puns in the show.

NATHAN: The songs really worked with the story.

RYAN: I also like how the music worked thematically.  There were melodies revisited and reprized appropriately.  The production is not fully orchestrated; just a live piano track, but vocal talent is there.  It’s well cast with strong singers.

NATHAN: Absolutely.  There is great talent in Chicago.

RYAN: There’s no set to speak of and the costumes are primitive but very Ozzy.  They serve the story. The show employed a very clever special effect technique, projecting puppets on a screen to further the story in an innovative way.

NATHAN: Theater requires more suspension of disbelief than other media and this show was easy to get lost into, in spite of there not being big sets or costumes.  We sat in the front row and on one side of me was a child, a young girl, and I loved seeing her reaction to the show.  Seeing it through her eyes was magical.  She wasn’t just watching a fairyland, she was in one.

RYAN: That’s magic!  I love that. 

NATHAN: You could see it on her face.

RYAN: The show is very true to the spirit of Baum, faithful to the book.  It’s a great challenge adapting Oz in any form and I liked how some dialogue was direct from the text of Baum.  There were two scene-stealers in the production: Rachel Christianson as General Jinjur and Caitlin Jackson as Mombi.  They were brilliant; Broadway caliber.  Mombi looked very Betty Davis in Whatever Happened to Baby Jane, which was disturbing but funny.  They had diva moments.

NATHAN: They played off of each other very well.  I also really loved Elizabeth Childester as Glinda.  For such a young actress, I was really impressed how well she pulled off the great dignity of Glinda.  She portrayed her how I always imagined her.

RYAN: Glinda’s was the best costume in the show.  Elizabeth also played the Saw-Horse, effectively employing the same puppetry device used in Avenue Q. 

NATHAN: I also liked the petite Lianne Rodriguez as Tip and Matt Huston as The Scarecrow.

RYAN: That’s a hard role to do well because it’s been made so iconic by Ray Bolger in The Wizard of Oz but Matt made is his own.

NATHAN: And Jamal Howard as Jack Pumpkinhead was fantastic.  It has to be hard performing through a mask without facial expressions and he was excellent.

RYAN: For all that this show is, I appreciate it. It starts with a great story and Anthony adapted it masterfully.  It was humorous, clever, and tight. I can imagine this working on a bigger stage with full orchestrations and costuming.  It’s all there in spirit and heart and with the right investment, could be a big show.

NATHAN: Totally.

RYAN: I love all of L. Frank Baum’s themes and lessons in his books.  They hold up today, more than 100 years later.

NATHAN: It was such an ambitious undertaking.  Theatrically, it was a layered dessert of music and characterization.

RYAN: Now I’m hungry for dessert.

NATHAN: [laughs’]

RYAN: Baum adapted some of his own stories to stage and screen in his day and I want to compliment Anthony for adapting this story.  It’s wonderful and really deserves to be shared this way.  The Marvelous Land of Oz is playing through June 2nd at The Den Theatre in Chicago, IL.