Weekend Showcase: “Wizard of Oz”
New Hope’s Off Broadway Musical Theatre’s production of “The Wizard of Oz” will be the last one in its current location near city hall. The crew does not disappoint.
Producing “The Wizard of Oz”
As Off Broadway Musical Theatre begins their run of “The Wizard of Oz,” they hope to find the same conclusion as Dorothy. This will be the last production at the castle next to city hall. By this time next year it will be torn down to make way for the new swimming pool.
”Wizard of Oz is a classic show about Dorothy and her journey and finding that there’s no place like home,” said director Jeff Anderson. “We’ve taken the approach of a coloring book.”
As the show progresses, more colors are added, as Dorothy meets people to color that book for her. And there is no shortage of color in Munchkinland.
The cast and set they’ve assembled for this show are superb and Kate Piering is a perfect Dorothy.
“I grew up watching Judy Garland play Dorothy. So I found the safety of playing Judy Garland rather than playing myself,” says Piering. “It was a challenge to try to find the realness in Dorothy and bring that out rather than just the cinematic persona that Judy Garland adopted as her.”
And you’ll love the other big star of the show.
“Toto, Toto, you came back! You got away from her you wonderful dog!” said Dorothy on stage as Toto came running into her arms after escaping from the evil Miss Gulch.
“Toto actually lives with me right now,” says Piering. “He’s like two years old, so he’s still kind of a puppy. He follows me around really well. He’s super good at listening and he is so adorable.”
The Wizard of Oz runs Thursday through Saturdays now through Aug. 4. Performances are free and open to the public, but there is a suggested donation of $4 to help Off-Broadway Musical Theatre defray costs. There is also a collection of food items for the local food shelf.
