Dorothy, Toto and their Oz-bound friends hit the yellow brick road next weekend as Theatre Baton Rouge stages The Wizard of Oz, the opening show of its 77th season.
“We’re using the musical script from the Royal Shakespeare Company’s production, which is similar to the film everyone knows, so you’ll hear all the songs and see the characters you know and love,” says TBR Artistic Director Jenny Ballard, who is co-directing The Wizard of Oz with Caty Steward.
The show is being performed by TBR’s Young Actors Program, a troupe for talented teens and kids. Forty-two actors between ages eight and 18 will perform in the show.
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“YAP is a training academy for young performers to gain the skills to do this professionally if they so choose,” Ballard says. “It’s wonderful to have seen so many kids go on to do this in college and as a career. Some have come back to work with us as adults.”
Dorothy is played by Molly Kate Skupien and the Wicked Witch of the West is played by Molly Bush. Elizabeth Porche plays the Cowardly Lion; Adler Rice, the Tinman; and Simone Sharp, the Scarecrow. Glinda the Good Witch is played by Brenley Murry. And Dorothy’s plucky dog, Toto, is played by real life pooch, Penny, who is also Steward’s pet.
“I’m a massive dog person, and so is Caty and everyone in the cast,” Ballard says. “It’s been so much fun training Penny to do a lot of fun tricks.”
The show features numerous big dance numbers, all choreographed by Hope Vaughan Carline. The music is directed by longtime Theatre Baton Rouge contributor and Red Magnolia Theatre Company co-founder Beth Bordelon. Ballard says the sets will be enhanced by numerous changing projections that bring to life key moments in the story, including the twister, Miss Gulch’s transformation into the Wicked Witch, the flying monkeys and more. “There’s a lot of magic, and the costumes and make-up are amazing,” Ballard says.
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In keeping with the Royal Shakespeare Company’s production, TBR’s The Wizard of Oz includes a second act number called “The Jitterbug,” that was cut from the 1939 film. (You can still find it on YouTube.) In it, the Wicked Witch of the West casts a spell on Dorothy and her friends that makes them dance until they drop. It’s a jazzy, big band number that audiences will love, Ballard says.
TBR’s The Wizard of Oz will be performed on the theater company’s Main Stage from Thursday, August 18, to Sunday, August 21. Ticket sales have been so robust that a fifth performance on Saturday at 2 pm has been added. For more information, and to purchase tickets, visit theatrebr.org.