By Barb Dorn
The Wizard of Oz, Nebraska Communities Playhouse, Opening Night Friday September 6, 2024
The old Twister movie – memorized. The new Twisters movie – seen it three times already. Wizard of Oz movie – never watched it.
As a child I was terrified of tornadoes (you don’t face your fears, you ride ‘em) so I studied meteorology in college instead. But – as a result, I could never get past the first part of WOO.
Maybe that was a good thing because I was (sorry) BLOWN AWAY by this presentation at the Nebraska Communities Playhouse on Friday evening.
So much so that I’m going to begin with the concession stand lest I forget! They had the absolute cutest cookies designed by Suzy’s Sweets in Adams, featuring the Emerald City, the proverbial road and a rainbow. And the bar always has delightful “signature” treats as well, including a sparkling, for real, Ruby Red Slippers for adults, and The Munchkin mocktail, complete with a lollipop!
Returning to our feature presentation – JD Madsen has done it again. By day, JD is an Associate Professor of Scenic Design at UNL’s Johnny Carson School of Theater and Film. At NCP, his most recent triumph was directing the marvelous Young Frankenstein. His respect for the original WOO shines, while his ability to combine just enough modern elements to keep it all relevant is a special talent. (I think that was the same cow…) The staging, the set, the video screen, the fabulous special effects and lighting, the costuming, dancing, vocals – all were masterful under JD’s guidance.
Music director Justin Eisenbeis, who teaches vocal music, has a long list of credits and this one tops the list. Every vocal was strong, harmonies were great. The ensemble’s dance numbers, from tap to jitterbug (jazz hands?!) were fantastic, thanks to choreographer Hannah Bertrand, recruiter for fine arts at Concordia, and her talented cast. Costumes (wow!) and makeup were top notch – and even though I knew a lot of patches, silver paint and mane had to appear and disappear quickly, I was still impressed with the timing of the entire production.
The performers were truly wonderful, every role was so well cast! Dorothy, Lillian Johnson, well I’m already running out of superlatives. Excellent performance – every line, every beautiful vocal, especially since we anticipate these classic numbers and sing along in our heads. We were not disappointed!
Scarecrow, Noah Trumble, so endearing, perfectly clumsy and lanky. Tin Man, Matt Osmotherly, what a voice. And what a dancer. Lion, Christian Cardona (gotta admit, a perennial favorite at NCP!), every role seems like a perfect fit and the vocals just keep getting stronger.
Auntie Em/Glinda, Chloe Schwarting, as lovely as ever, as were her vocals. Gultch/Wicked Witch, Colette Williams, made her role so much fun I was half sorry to see her melt! Professor Marvel/Oz, Sam Ninegar, yet another perfect casting, such a smooth voice and great stage presence.
By now you can see I was thoroughly enjoying myself as I watched it all from start to finish without a single qualm about the weather. But I’ve saved a couple of favorites for last.
I may not have ever seen the movie, but I did see WOO on stage when my kids were in high school. That was the first time I got to see Connor Dudley in one of his numerous and infamous “animal” roles. Yep, the flying monkey. The next one was a cow in Into the Woods. In WOO, he has, evolved?, into a dog. Connor has this amazing ability to convey the emotions of the puppet under his control, with his face and body. There is much to watch and a lot going on, but you really need to pay attention to Toto. What a hoot!
Finally, I loved the tornado! What a beautiful, artful way to depict the twirling storm through choreography! The set pieces flying by, Dorothy being picked up, SO WELL DONE. If only the original would have been done this way, I coulda watched it!
YOU need to watch this latest stunning production.Truly, I am always impressed at NCP! Like tropical storms lined up in the Atlantic, the amazing hits just keep coming.
If you go: The Wizard of Oz runs September 6-8th, 12th-15th at 7:30pm, 2pm Sunday matinees. Tickets can be purchased online at neplayhouse.com or by calling the box office at (402)792- 8882.
Barb Dorn (who knew all that storm spotter training would come in so handy?)
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