The 1939 film “The Wizard of Oz” is nothing if not a tough act to follow. Starring Judy Garland as Dorothy, a young Kansas girl who wakes up after a tornado to find herself in the magical land of Oz, the film’s legacy spans generations. It’s beloved by moviegoers, young and old. It’s filled with indelible performances and fantastic technical achievements. It is, to put it bluntly, singular.
But while following in the footsteps of one of the best movies ever made seems like an impossible task, the City Springs Theatre Company’s production of “The Wizard of Oz” — directed by Baayork Lee and running at the Byers Theatre through Dec. 28 — is a worthy, if not perfect, successor. The production features strong performances and, while opening night featured a few technical kinks that need to be worked out, the amount of heart and talent up on that stage is sure to bring a smile to the audience’s faces.
The design of the 1939 film is perhaps one of its signature calling cards, and, for the stage production, the most difficult thing to emulate. The movie opens in black and white before moving to glorious Technicolor when Dorothy first sets foot in Oz. The show admirably attempts to create the same effect, and, while the City Springs set is incredible as always, there are enough splashes of color in the Kansas set that the transition to Oz doesn’t feel quite as awe-inspiring.
The show works best when it leans into its theatricality rather than attempting to stay as close as possible to the film. One of the most interesting things about the show is how it uses dance to stand in for some of the more technicology forward aspects of the film, in particular the tornado that brings Dorothy to Oz. Here, instead of trying to recreate a technical effect that is far more suited to cinema over theater, Lee instead makes the effect theatrical, using the movement of the dancers to stand in for the wind and the rain.
While the musical does fall into some pacing issues in its second act (While “The Jitterbug” plays better on stage than I believe it would on screen, there is still a reason that song was cut from the movie entirely), the first act is an absolute delight, and so much of that can be chalked up the central four performances. As Dorothy, Elizabeth Hall is all gumption and smiles, topped off with a strong, clear voice that handles songs like “Somewhere Over the Rainbow” with care. Stanley Martin, Tyler Pirrung, and Nick Morrett round out the main quartet as the Scarecrow, the Tin Man, and the Cowardly Lion, respectively. In particular, Pirrung brings the most difference to his character, making his Tin Man far more manic and slapstick than his movie counterpart Jack Haley.
But, while each actor and the show’s vast ensemble bring such joy to this beloved story, there is one performer who stole the show: the dog who played Toto seemed to have a little bit of stage fright upon his initial entrance, scurrying back off stage when he saw the audience for the first time. Don’t worry though — while I’m not sure he actually knew what was going on, he seemed perfectly content to rest in different cast members’ arms for the rest of the time he was onstage. If none of the other delights of this production of “The Wizard of Oz” are enough to sell you, I’m willing to bet that little dog can.