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On Monday night, the Collins Center for the Arts looked a lot like Munchkinland.
Children were running toward the colorfully lit entrance, parents in tow, smiling in anticipation of the performance about to begin. It wasn’t just the young who were excited — the young at heart were just as animated as they waited for the curtain to open on “The Wizard of Oz.” Dispersed among the crowd were little girls in ruby slippers, blue dresses and braids in their hair.
Among the most beloved songs and scenes were: “Somewhere Over The Rainbow,” the house falling on the Wicked Witch of the East, the cheering of “the wicked old witch is dead,” the ruby slippers appearing on Dorothy’s feet — resulting in an “ooo” from the crowd — the confrontation with the Wizard of Oz and the melting of the Wicked Witch of the West, which looked like a magic act as she disappeared from the stage.
There were also new lines and scenes keeping the audience captivated. The Cowardly Lion spoke of his wish for courage, telling a story of how one day his father took him to the top of a big rock and told him, “One day you will be king over all of this.” The actor mimicked James Earl Jones’ voice as Mufasa in the “Lion King,” demonstrating that even an old classic can be modernized to speak to a younger generation.
Another addition was the story of how the Tin Man became the Tin Man. The Tin Man was human, but the Wicked Witch of the West enchanted his ax so that when he swung at a tree, the ax cut off a body part instead. He would go to a tinsmith to create a replacement part each time. First the left leg, then the right leg, left arm, right arm and then finally his body and head — it’s understandable why this was left out of the screen version.
Glinda the Good Witch of the North announced a change to the program before the performance; Dorothy was going to be played by Ana Bartoletto Machado, the understudy. She didn’t disappoint. Machado was enchanting as Dorothy and her charming smile lit up the stage. Beau Hutchings as the Tin Man and Andrew Haserlat as the Scarecrow, with their slapstick humor and innocent search for a heart and brain, were endearing. The character that stole each scene was the Cowardly Lion, played by Jesse Coleman. Coleman’s reprisal of the lion, was hilarious.
The supporting actors were a wonderful surprise. There were some fun-loving crows who sang along with the Scarecrow and laughed at his antics. Their laughter was contagious and their imitation of crows was believable. Then the leggy — I mean long-limbed — apple trees in the forest with the Tinman made the audience laugh with their unexpected New York attitudes and accents as they scolded Dorothy for picking their apples.
One small actor who stole the show every time he ran onstage was Toto. The audience looked to the side of the stage whenever Dorothy called for her beloved dog, letting out a collective “aw” as he pitter-pattered from behind the curtain into her waiting arms.
Local students of the Penobscot Youth Theatre, which is part of the Penobscot Theatre Company in Bangor, played the munchkins. They were selected to perform in this show through the CCA’s community outreach continuing education program. You could see the excitement in their eyes and the joy in their smiles as they danced along with the cast.
“The Wizard of Oz” is a classic, loved by young and old. The characters not in the film version, and seen only on stage kept the performance from being a ho-hum remake.
