LITTLE ROCK — Even when the current national touring production of The Wizard of Oz isn’t quite great and powerful, it’s a whiz of a Wiz if ever a Wiz there was Monday night at Little Rock’s Robinson Center Music Hall.
John Kane’s stage adaptation for the Royal Shakespeare Company from the 1939 MGM classic features all the movie’s classic songs by Harold Arlen (music) and E.Y. “Yip” Harburg (lyrics), including unfamiliar introductions to familiar numbers (a verse in front of “Somewhere Over the Rainbow,” for example). There’s even a reinstated song, “The Jitterbug,” which was cut from the movie after production because it didn’t quite fit in (and also because the movie was several minutes too long).
Cassie Okenka is almost unbearably cute and perky as spunky Dorothy Gale, who takes a journey via tornado from sepia-toned Kansas to bright and colorful Oz. Adam Jepsen as farmhand Hunk transformed into Munchkinland Scarecrow takes some wonderful tumbles, while Peter Gosik has some fine clanky moments as Hickory turned-Tin Man.
Jesse Coleman steals lots of scenes as the Cowardly Lion, particularly trying to make the King of the Forest into the Queen of the Night in “If I Were King.” A little trained Cairn terrier named Dusty steals every scene Toto’s in, including showing more emotion than Dorothydoes during “Over the Rainbow.”
Pat Sibley, who owns the stage as mean old Miss Gulch, gets plenty of chances to wisecrack as tornado-transformed Wicked Witch of the West.
The shows creators also gives double-duty to Aunt Em, who turns into a giggly, daffy Glinda the Good Witch (kudos to Kristin Stewart), and Uncle Henry, who reappears in the Emerald City as the Guard with the Green Mustache (a good turn by Ryan Wagner).
Twelve local lasses from the Little Rock’s own Shuffles & Ballet II studio do an excellent job of filling out the Munchkin corps, with doubles as the marching army of the Yo-e-O Winkies.
There’s lots of first-rate video special effects, but some of the nonvideo special effects don’t work as well. If the show has a weak spot, it’s in the Wizard’s throne room, where the massive head is more comic than scary. Robert John Biedermann is a bit weak as the Great and Powerful Oz but has better moments as the avuncular humbug giving ersatz brain, heart and courage to his three credulous petitioners.
Dorothy, her loyal sidekicks, the Wizard, the Munchkins and Toto, too, will do it all again at 7:30 p.m. today and 1 and 7:30 p.m. Wednesday at Robinson, West Markham Street and Broadway, Little Rock. Ticket information is available by calling (501) 244-8800 or (800) 982-2787 (ARTS) or at the website, Ticketmaster.com.
Arkansas, Pages 8 on 06/22/2010