The Wizard of Oz

The Wizard of Oz first entertained audiences on the big screen in 1939 and since then has been declared by the Library of Congress as the most watched film in history. I was honored to be asked to give a review of the live musical performance that is currently running at the Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre. As a child I fell in love with the characters of the story; Dorothy, the scarecrow, the tin man and the lion of course. The wicked witch of the west gave me nightmares but that didn't stop me from watching the movie over and over again.
I thoroughly enjoyed this live performance of The Wizard of Oz. The acting was outstanding, the music numbers filled with wonderful singing and fun dancing, the special effects were impressive using technology, fire, explosions, and witches flying overhead. The set was believable and overall I found the live version to have a lot more humor than the movie version. Watching the children in the audience light up and hearing their "oohs" and "ahhs" was a lot of fun. I highly recommend bringing a child to this production. However, if you are a child at heart or want to get back in touch with your childhood the show is just as entertaining for the adult audience member.
The opening scene shows Dorothy running away from Miss Gulch, the nasty neighbor who is trying to take her beloved dog Toto away from her. As soon as Toto runs out on stage the audience starts applauding, the children are especially excited to see their furry friend. The first musical number "Somewhere over the rainbow", introduces audience members to Kate Bristol's (Dorothy's) incredible voice as she captures us all. The special effects for the tornado were creative whisking Dorothy from Kansas to the land of Oz. Glinda the good witch of the north floats in on a bubble and we see the wicked witch of the west for the first time fly in on her broom stick.
The scarecrow is Dorothy's first friend on the yellow brick road, played by the charming Andrew Haserlat. The musical number includes crows as background dancers which was something new I wasn't expecting. Next we meet the tin man played by Beau Hutchings who has been with this production since they started touring three years ago. Although he claims he doesn't have a heart, he surely steals the audiences over and over again in this dazzling number. Finally we meet the cowardly lion played by Jessee Coleman. His powerful voice was one of my favorites. As the friends travel on their journey they face obstacles and challenges but stick together through it all showing the real meaning of friendship. In the end they realize they already have everything they were looking for. Overall this was a wonderful performance and I highly recommend buying tickets before it leaves Atlanta!