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(Posted 4:30 p.m., April 4)
Sir
Wil 'Wiz' an all-age production that can't be missed
By Fred Sherwin
Orléans Online
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 The
Sir Wilfrid Laurier production of 'The Wizard
of Oz' stars Meg Atkinson as Dorothy and Trevor
Desjardins as the Scarecrow. Fred Sherwin/Photo
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"The
Wizard of Oz" is one of the most popular movies of
all time. It's also one of the most popular plays of all
time, having been performed from Broadway to Barrhaven.
Because
it is so well known, the difference between an excellent
production of "The Wizard of Oz" and a so-so
production usually comes down to the performance itself.
Fortunately
the Sir Wilfrid Laurier Secondary School production of
"The Wizard of Oz" is filled with great performances,
starting with Meg Atkinson as Dorothy.
Atkinson
is perfectly cast as the young farm girl who gets caught
in a tornado and ends up in the Land of Oz. She plays
the part with a dash of Judy Garland and a pinch of Anne
Shirley.
Other
great performances are turned in by Kelly Korim who plays
the Wicked Witch of the West, Andrew Pearson as the Tim
Man and Trevor Desjardins as the Scarecrow.
But
my favourite performace of all was that of Nick Moolenbeek
as the Cowardly Lion. It Moolenbeek doesn't get a CAPPIE
nod for best supporting actor it would be a travesty.
I
can't say enough about his treatment of the timid lion.
He also has some great lines. Such as when he tells Dorothy
about the time when he was a youngster and his father
took him to the top of a mountain.
"He
held me out and said 'some day this will be all yours',"
he says in an obvious reference to "The Lion King".
"I was scared of heights, so I ran away."
Although
she wasn't on stage as much as the lead characters were,
I was also impressed by Caroline Trippenbach who plays
Glinda the good witch. The Grade 9 student has a tremendous
voice and I'm sure we'll be seeing a lot more of her in
the future.
As
strong as the acting was, the cast was almost upstaged
by Toto who is played by Axel Shamus Stewart, a Cairn
terrier with a penchant for being extremely cute as well
as obedient.
All
in all, the Sir Wilfrid Laurier production of "The
Wizard of Oz" is well worth the price of admission.
The performances are exceptional and the script is filled
with some very funny moments like when Dorothy and her
companions are attacked by a bunch of apple trees who
pelt them with apples as they try to make their way through
the Haunted Forest.
It's
impossible to review a production of "The Wiz"
without commenting on the musical performances, and here
again, the Sir Wil production hits all the right notes,
from Atkinson's performance of "Somewhere Over the
Rainbow to her duet with Desjardins of "If I Only
Had A Brain".
The
costumes are top rate, the sound and lightning are professionally
done and the orchestration, provided by the school's concert
band, is pitch perfect.
The
Sir Wilfrid Laurier production of "The Wizard of
Oz" really is superb. The play runs until Thursday
night. Curtain time is 7 p.m. Admission is $10 for adults
and $5 for students and seniors.
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The
Sir Wilfrid Laurier production of 'The Wizard
of Oz' has several musical . Fred Sherwin/Photo
(This
story was made possible thanks to the generous support of
our local business partners.)
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Queen's Park Corner
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