Reviewing The Wizard of Oz at Theatre Cedar Rapids

 

The Wizard of Oz at the Theatre Cedar Rapids is spiced up by some sizzling performances while being taken down a few pegs by glitzy overly busy lighting effects and a second act that goes on about fifteen minutes too long. The younger viewers around us started getting pretty antsy as the endless and not well integrated Jitterbug and reprise went on and on. The choreography overall was not quite as rousing as the high voltage hoofing in last year’s Cabaret, but still was pleasant enough to keep us involved.

All of the performances were competent while the standouts were well worth the ticket price. My favorite was the sprawling gangly Scarecrow of Jenup Wan and second by a hair goes to the creaky movement and strong voice of James Odegaard’s Lion.  Kudos also to Jessica Link as the nasty Miss Gulch and the Wicked Witch.  Rhylee Larson’s Dorothy had the mature voice of a pro, but I felt she did not quite manage to portray the youthful vulnerability of the Kansas Dorothy as well as she might have or maybe Judy Garland’s performance in the movie was still a haunting presence for me.

 The costumes were spot-on with fanciful touches in hats and hair. I loved it when the apple trees started throwing their fruit.

 Now I come back to the lighting and special effects. Flying actors are always special and this was done with expertise and safety though perhaps it could have been done a few less times to keep it special. This goes for the lighting as well. The jazzy projections were simply not enough to keep me from feeling that the “Jitterbug dance and reprise in the 2^nd act was too long. It was not all clear to me what the dancers were doing for so long or why. In any case I do wonder if the moving projections and wild color changes were overused in the show. The score is more mellow and romantic than frenetic and boom-boom. This “hit em hard” ambiance was also evident in the miking of both actors and orchestra at what I felt was an ear-splitting level. This may be part of the reason I had some doubts about Rylee Larson’s Dorothy. Over-amplification gave her voice a grating harshness at times that was at odds with the tenderness of her character.

My doubts may also be the result of my many years as a play director. I detected a sense of even though the show has plenty of “wow” all by itself, let’s juice it up some more by overusing the special effects until they begin to pale from repetition. Not knowing when to stop is a disease that afflicts actors, directors, and designers as well as gamblers and drinkers.

 In spite of my quibbles, this was a fine afternoon at the theatre and I continue to admire the Theatre Cedar Rapids’ work. They have a fine mix of reliable adult talent both in front of and behind the curtain and they are giving younger performers a chance to work in what is clearly a talented ensemble.