The Wizard of Oz

Musical (1987)
Based upon the film The Wizard of Oz (1939)
With Music and Lyrics by Harold Arlen and E. Y. Harburg
Based on the book The Wizard of Oz (1900) by L. Frank Baum
Adapted by John Kane for the Royal Shakespeare Company
Background Music by Herbert Stothart;
Dance and Vocal Arrangements by Peter Howard;
Orchestration by Larry Wilcox
Directed by Robert W. Schneider
Music Director: Matthew Stern
Choreography: Briana Fallon
North Shore Music Theatre
Beverly, MA
July 8-20, 2025

Scenic Design: Ryan M. Howell; Projection Design: Pamela Hersch; Costume Design: Travis M. Grant; Wig and Hair Design: Rachel Padula-Shuflet; Lighting Design: Jack Mehler; Dog Owner/Trainer/Handler: Katelyn Minnie

With Bridget Delaney (Dorothy Gale), Bug Minnie (Toto), Kerry Conte (Aunt Em/Glinda), Ian Lowe (Uncle Henry/Emerald City Guard), Ethan Carlson (Hunk/Scarecrow), Sean Bell (Hickory/Tin Man), E. Mani Cadet (Zeke/Cowardly Lion), Michele Ragusa (Almira Gulch/Wicked Witch), David Coffee (Professor Marvel/The Wizard of Oz), Penelope Rhoads (Mayor of Munchkin City), Helen M. Brady (Barrister), Lola Rhoads (Coroner)

If you don’t know the story, it’s likely that you have been living in seclusion for a long time, but, nonetheless, here’s the basic idea. Dorothy Gale (Bridget Delaney), a young girl in Kansas, while trying to save her dog Toto (Bug Minnie) from mean Mrs. Gulch (Michele Ragusa), gets swept up in a tornado and goes to the magical land of Oz. The house she has been carried away in lands on the Wicked Witch of the East and, with the help of Glinda (Kerry Conte), the Good Witch of the North, Dorothy gets the Wicked Witch of the East’s ruby slippers. She befriends a Scarecrow (Ethan Carlson), a Tin Man (Sean Bell) and a Cowardly Lion (E. Mani Cadet), and they set off to the capital city of Oz to see the Wizard (David Coffee) who will certainly help Dorothy get back to Kansas. As well, he might well help the Scarecrow get his much-wanted brain, the Tin Man his much wanted heart, and the Cowardly Lion some much wanted courage. The Wicked Witch of the West (Michele Ragusa) becomes a real problem, but somehow, after a lot of worry and struggle, they eventually overcome her, and Dorothy and her companions confront the Wizard who turns out to be a bit of a fake. Oh well. Even so, the Wizard manages to get some semblance of the desired goods to the Scarecrow, the Tin Man and the Cowardly Lion before he takes off in a balloon accidentally before Dorothy can get on and ride with him back to Kansas. Nonetheless, Glinda shows up and shows Dorothy how she can get home without the ride from the Wizard. Sorry if this has spoiled any surprises, but, if you have been surprised, now you can join up with 99% of the population – at least in the USA – who know the story.

It’s hard to imagine anything actually improving on the iconic film, but there are some notable virtues in this stage adaptation. Among other things, some sweet lyrical intros to the songs that are not present in the film are included here, which is a nice addition. As well, because of the necessities of stage performance rather than film, there are some nice inventions.

There is a huge cast, with a whole bunch of kids playing munchkins. The kids are stupendous, and dance their hearts out in the famous songs welcoming Dorothy to Oz (Come Out Come Out, Ding Dong The Witch is Dead, Follow The Yellow Brick Road). Choreographer Briana Fallon and her team have done a great job of dance orientation with this group, and have created some other wonderful moments throughout. There are, as well, some terrific vocal moments from the kids, overall representing a wonderful high point in the production.

Bridget Delaney, who plays Dorothy, does a terrific job as well. She has a beautiful, rich voice and conveys the appropriate sentiment with even a bit more down-to-earthness than the magnificent youthful Judy Garland does in the film. That is saying a lot, and Garland is certainly unimpeachable in the film role, but Delaney, here, does a wonderful job in a slightly but appropriately toned down and very effective rendition. When she dances the various yellow-brick-road jigs, she also is fleet footed. She’s an all-around great Dorothy.

As Glinda (and Auntie Em), Kerry Conte is also beautifully voiced and has a nicely rich presence. Again, Billie Burke of film role fame as Glinda, is unimpeachably unique, but Conte, in this production, has a little less saccharinity and a little more of the homespun quality that evokes a hint of the other role (Auntie Em) she plays. Her singing, when it occurs, is also sonorous and satisfying.

As the wicked witch, Michele Ragusa renders a quality that is rewarding and satisfying – she’s quite funny! Of course, in the film role, Margaret Hamilton is so unimpeachably nasty and vicious that one could never see it as at all humorous, but Ragusa bends just enough to the wry side to draw a little smile. In the wake of the recent wild success of the film version of Wicked (2024) – and, again, for those who have been living in seclusion, it gives an alternate and sympathetic account of the wicked witch of the West – this slightly humorized version of the witch is timely and relevant.

The supporting cast is very good, with Ethan Carlson as the Scarecrow, not only doing a constant rendition of a guy with totally oiled joints, but who also at one point walks halfway across the huge stage on his hands. Seriously impressive! Sean Bell as the Tin Man is sweet and affecting, and E. Mani Cadet as the Cowardly Lion does enough alternate riffing in hip speech to give some great laughs to the audience.

Bug Minnie, the dog who plays Toto is out of this world. This dog should get a star in Hollywood. It’s an unbelievable performance and trainer Katelyn Minnie deserves a Nobel Prize.

There are a lot of terrific costumes designed by Travis M. Grant in this show, with teams of dancers coming out as poppies, or as green representatives of Oz, and so on. It’s very entertaining. Video displays by Pamela Hersch all around the stage convey the overwhelming wizard and other relevant phenomena quite effectively. There’s some kind of sliding mechanism that brings Glinda in and takes the wizard out, and that and the rest of the scenic design by Ryan M. Howell works quite well. Lighting design by Jack Mehler, including a wonderfully iridescent floor that maps the yellow brick road, is vivid and stimulating. I was sorry to see only one flying monkey, but the cast is already so large one understands why it might be difficult to outfit more of them.

As the Wizard of Oz, and as Professor Marvel, David Coffee is very out there and persuasive, a big personality who makes his evocative presence felt immediately. He’s very good indeed. As the gatekeeper of the Wizard’s palace (and as Uncle Henry), Ian Lowe is quite funny.

Among some of the entertaining large-cast dance scenes, there is one near the end with a Jitterbug song that does not show up in the original film. This production does it wonderfully, with wild and vibrant dancing all around.

It was great to see lots of kids in the audience, and even though the show runs well past bedtime, they seemed to be having a lot of fun.

The score is pretty demanding, and Matthew Stern certainly earns his keep running the operation. The band sounds great, though at times the sound system delivers its output a bit brashly. Considerable effort is involved rendering such a score night after night and this band does a great job.

It’s a little odd to watch a musical that is so closely patterned after a celebrated film, but that seems to be part of the drill these days. Indeed, some of the performances and interpretations in this staged version are very worth the effort; so one takes it, in the best sense, as a somewhat altered but welcome seasoning of a traditionally celebrated dish.

– BADMan (aka Charles Munitz)