Review: THE WIZARD OF OZ at Playhouse On The Square

Perhaps there is no better time to produce a stage production of THE WIZARD OF OZ than the same month that the blockbuster film WICKED is set to be released. The world is currently saturated with marketing for the tale of Oz and the witches who inhabit it. It’s hard to imagine there’s anyone left who isn’t somewhat familiar with L. Frank Baum’s 1900 children’s book which was made into a movie musical in 1939. Few people know that the book was actually first turned into a stage musical way back in 1902 premiering at the Chicago Grand Opera House. It wasn’t until 2011 that the biggest iteration of the show premiered on London’s West End (with new songs by Andrew Lloyd Weber). It then toured America starting in 2013 and differing versions which borrow from the film and the 2011 stage production are still floating around today. So, just which version is Playhouse on the Square currently showcasing? Apparently, the weird one. This one borrows heavily from the film, but also from the “unusually” inventive mind of its director/choreographer, Whitney Branan. It’s an above average, but uneven production which meets the needs of a less discerning theatre crowd looking to get out of the house during the holidays. While often entertaining, it also provokes a lot of questions such as, “What am I looking at?” and “Why am I looking at it?”  

Ms. Branan (a top-notch performer in her own right) has a tendency as a director/choreographer to instill “creativity” wherever and whenever she can. But just because she can, doesn’t necessarily mean she should. Pulling elements from the 1939 film (Dorothy’s signature checkered dress and transitioning from black/white costuming to colorful outfits in the Land of Oz to emulate the film’s movement to technicolor midway through) makes sense, but then to mix in 80’s Ballroom/Vogue culture choreography and contemporary movements and attitude is just off-putting. Pairing grown men with beards next to tween girls all wearing the same white dresses isn’t a statement--it’s a question. Having modern dancers (in modern dance costuming) swoop on to the stage mixed with traditional 1930’s looking characters disjoints the feel of the show and pulls you out of the story. Reimagining a production happens all the time, but it needs a thematic throughline to keep its equilibrium. Want to make the whole show an 80’s Ballroom/Vogue cultural statement? Go for it! Want to set the whole story in 2024 Kansas? Sounds fun! But to arbitrarily infuse “other worldly” elements throughout a production with no rhyme or reason is frustrating. Please pick a style and stick with it.

Technically, this show is quite good. The projections on the cyclorama beautifully set the locales, be it black and white Kansas or the vibrant Emerald City. Moving visuals of tornados, flying animals, enormous Wizard heads are a nice “tip of the hat” homages to the original film and the scenery by Lex von Blommenstein raises the bar. The costume design by Lindsay Schmeling (while at times bizarre) somehow works (loved the Apple Trees) except for the Winkie costumes which places the witch’s guards in long, bright yellow lab coats and fisherman hats with lavender bathmats for shawls (it’s about as random and disconcerting as it sounds). Coming off one of POTS’ best sounding shows with WAITRESS, expectations were raised, but this design seems to have had another house fall on Joshua Crawford’s mic system. The volume is low, the enunciation is garbled, and the underscoring drowns out many of the vocals. Megan Christoferson gets better show after show and her lighting is spectacular. The ambiance created by Christoferson enriches all the aspects of this “magical” show. Certainly, the best part of this production!

The performances, like the overall production itself, are wildly uneven. Although POTS is considered Memphis’ only professional theatre, here only a handful of actors fit the bill while the rest fall more into the community/amateur theatre category. The youth ensemble is clearly having fun playing munchkins and flying monkeys, but their choreography, focus and stage presence is on par with an elementary school production.

Amy P. Nabors (a proven talent on Memphis stages) offers a “vanilla” rendition of Aunt Em and Glinda, the Good Witch. Yes, both characters are somewhat one-dimensional (worrisome Aunt and even-keeled fairy), but Nabors has the talent and experience to bring something new and fresh to her portrayals to make them more interesting, but misses the opportunity.

Charles Hunter as the Tin Man and Karl Robinson, Jr. as the Scarecrow both play it safe which renders them almost completely forgettable. Yes, they are both excellent dancers, but talking tin men and scarecrows beg for “bigger than life” portrayals, not “average Joes.” Not helping their cause is having to perform next to the force of nature that is Brandon R. Dickerson playing the Cowardly Lion. Dickerson demands your attention and has the stage presence to elicit applause with his very first utterance of “Put ‘em up!” Although his body mic doesn’t do him any favors with the enunciation, Dickerson plays it big and loud and sets the tone for how all the other friends of Dorothy should play it. Nicely done.

Caroline Simpson (always a standout) delivers a solid (albeit also safe) depiction of the Wicked Witch of the West. She definitely nails the witch’s cackle which sends shivers down your spine, but doesn’t necessarily instill terror or dread through her movements or line delivery. She’s not nice, but falls short of being truly “wicked.”

Finally, upon hearing that Mac White would be stepping into the iconic lead role of the frightened, but feisty teenager Dorothy, came as a surprise. For anyone who saw her blockbuster performance as a possessed witch in THE CRUCIBLE over at Theatre Memphis last season, knows it was hard to imagine her pulling off a young, innocent, wide-eyed teenager. But not only does White pull it off, she also brings a new, refreshing take on just what this character could be. No, White’s Dorothy is not a young, impressionable girl who naively runs away from home with her little dog, Toto. Instead, she’s a strong young woman who speaks her mind and is willing to go for what she wants. Her “longing” song (“Somewhere Over the Rainbow”) transforms from being a song about physically going to someplace else to a song about escaping an emotional dead-end existence and living for the first time. Within seconds of singing, tears will start to fall.

This POTS production is a serviceable enough rendition for the kids in the family who are just becoming familiar with the iconic tale or for adults looking to be mildly entertained. Live theatre is always worth supporting over a night sitting on the couch and there are moments here which will put a smile on your face as you watch a group of performers having fun striving to entertain. It’s not a total homage to the 1939 film, nor is it a completely reimagined version that will leave you in awe of what is possible. It doesn’t seem to really know which way to go. Or it’s simply heeding the Scarecrow’s most famous advice: “Of course, people do go both ways.”

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