One of the most cherished fantasy films of all time comes to life this week at Martin Exeter Hall, in the 100 Mile Performing Arts Society’s stage production of The Wizard of Oz.
After five months of rehearsals, the 29-member cast, production crew, and director Nicole Weir know their roles and are ready for opening night on Feb. 28.
Based on the children’s novel by L. Frank Baum, Dorothy and her little dog, Toto, follow the Yellow Brick Road to the Land of Oz, helped and hampered by Munchkins, witches, a trio of unlikely new-found friends, and the great wizard Oz.
Producer Jan Richmond describes the show as a beautiful vision of the story and a lovely show to watch.
“It’s real eye candy. Costumes are fabulous and they match the show amazingly.”
She credits costume manager Shelly Carrera with doing an outstanding job of taking Weir’s vision and making it happen.
Richmond adds Tin Man, Brian Weir, practises patience and has adapted well to his metal suit, on loan from a theatre group in Vanderhoof.
“Once he crawls into it, he’s pretty much in there until the end of the show. It’s a beautiful costume, but he has to be careful as to how he moves. He can’t bend or sit.”
She says actor Chris Adams lights up the stage with his hilarious portrayal of Cowardly Lion, and little shih tzu, Gio, behaves beautifully as Toto.
Gio belongs to piano accompanist Pat Friesen and has attended almost every rehearsal. Toto appears in many scenes, held on a leash by Lydia Kinasewich, who plays Dorothy, and she has a plush toy as a stunt double for the rougher scenes.
Richmond says Nicole has made the transition from actor to her first role as director very nicely after having had many character parts in previous productions.
“She’s done very well. It’s been a huge learning curve for her, but there wouldn’t have been a show without her. You can’t just take people off the street and make them a director. We’re so glad she took the chance.”
Thousands of man-hours have gone into the production of The Wizard of Oz, including 550 hours alone, put in by the set design crew.
They have masterfully created six completely different backdrops and many other elements for the 28 scene changes.
The show will feature eight performances from Feb. 28 to March 2 and March 7-9. Curtain time is 7 p.m. each night, and the two Saturdays will also feature a matinee performance at 2 p.m.
Advance tickets are available at Didi’s and Donex for $15 each and Richmond warns some shows are beginning to sell out. She adds tickets may be available at the door for some performances and suggests people check local radio and the 100 Mile House Free Press website and Facebook page for availability on the day of the particular show.
