I took my mini with me to see the Wizard of Oz and literally watched this show come to life through her eyes has to be my proudest moments this year. We all know the story of how Dorothy dreamed of a life far away over the Rainbow away from the very people she knows and love. I promise you, you have never seen the story unfold the way Quintessence Theatre portrayed it. The Wizard of Oz was directed by Lee Cortopassi with this production is an adaptation of John Kane and based on the classis motion picture by Turner Entertainment Company and distributed by all media by Warner Brothers.
Dorothy Gale
First, it’s hard to distinguish between which characters I loved most because this cast is full of pure talent. They all are amazing. It didn’t matter if they played one character or multiple characters, they all shined together as a well oiled (no pun intended) team. I loved the powerful acting of Dorothy Gayle played by Leigha Kato. She was phenomenal. Her timing was on point, her voice is out of this world and she literally lite the stage. I will say it again I am sure but there’s a difference between singing and sanging and Dorothy and all the actors/actresses sang.
Scarecrow/Hunk
Andrew Betz played an amazing Scarecrow. I loved how his costume was overly stuffed to showcase straw. They did just enough allowing the audience to focus more on his acting than anything else. What I liked about his character is that they kept his part very close to the original. I think his part since he was the first friend that Dorothy meets was vital. I also enjoyed hearing newer songs that weren’t in the original as well. Andrew brings his A game in this pivotal character. I was impressed with his chops as well. Again singing is key when you are in a musical and Quintessence Theatre made sure to have a lot of heavy hitters to round out this cast.
Toto
Susannah Hughes did a great job as Toto. I loved that they used her as an actress instead of maybe a toy dog that followed Dorothy. Instead Toto was interactive with the audience as well as with Dorothy which is more that Toto did outside of certain scenes. This was a pleasant surprise. Also, Toto had a lot of great acrobats that was noticeable and added to the scenes at the right time.
I loved how in the beginning they let you know who was playing which role. I think especially for my daughter it helped her to sort of keep her focus. She is by the way 10 years old and she absolutely loved the entire play.
Lion/Zeke
My daughter’s favorite was the Cowardly Lion played by Jered Mclenigan. He put his own spin on the classic character. We all expect the Lion to be witty and Jered was that and so much more. As soon as he stepped on the stage I never stopped laughing. Jered also played Zeke. I loved how you can see so much personality in his acting and range. You can tell when an actor just takes a part or when they truly take on a part.
Aunt Em/ Glinda
Can we say how diversified Leah Gabriel as Aunt Em and Glinda the Good witch was? I loved the spin in making her entrances so modern and chic. I had to explain to my daughter that that she was indeed the same character. Some of the others she immediately saw the transition, but she couldn’t see it as much with Leah’s characters. I loved her upbeat personality to the Good Witch because it literally made the character not just airy but attainable and audience friendly without taking away from the classic, we all have grown up to love and know.
Miss Gulch/ Wicked Witch
E. Ashley Izard portrayal of Miss Gulch and the Wicked Witch was so good I forgot that we aren’t supposed to necessarily like her. I liked her a lot. I had to think about what that meant about me, but I digress. She was super entertaining. I mean we knew what her purpose was, but we didn’t want her to hurry to get there. Let me also say that Quintessence did an amazing job with transitions. It was smooth going in between characters.
The Wizard/ Uncle Henry
John Basiulis did a great job as Uncle Henry. Like Leah he was almost unnoticeable as he shifted from Uncle Henry to the Wizard. It’s another one I had to talk to my daughter about. It didn’t bother me that his transitions were amazingly done at all. I loved having to talk to my daughter about the transitions. She was amazed. I loved the fact that once again they took a modern spin and although they kept the generalizations of the characters the modern touched helped audiences of all ages enjoy the show.
Tinman
Doug Hara and his Tinman costume I loved the most. It wasn’t the way they did the costume it was the fact that he overacted in a great way the stiffness of his costume. Everyone knows that the Tinman is on his way to get a heart. We also know he has rusted due to the Witch’s spell. Its not as easy as some would think to speak as if you are rusted and have personality doing it. Doug did an amazing job portraying what it would have been like to be rusted several times as his stint as the Tinman. I also loved that just like the Classic he did a great job as Hickory.
Ensemble
Sometimes we look at Ensemble as just extras but let me tell you nothing was extra or small about the parts that these next set of actors/actresses portrayed. To be honest because we are so familiar with the story of Wizard of Oz it allowed the Ensemble cast to shine that much more. That doesn’t mean it took away from the story, but it added the necessary and rounding elements to the story.
First, I sat in the front where I was in the actor’s touching space. Do NOT worry, no actors were harmed. They don’t touch you. I do like being in the front when I am reviewing because I like to be close to the power. It helps me to really focus in on each character. This is what I noticed, Michael Liebhauser, Chloe Mollis McBride, and Jessica Money can really sing. They have several instances where they had to harmonize. I paid close attention to that because sometimes with music you don’t get the essence of the actors/actress’ voices, but this was not the case. I heard them collectively as well as individually. You can blame that on my choir and singing background.
To say that I didn’t have ball would be a lie. I not only spent valuable time with my mini me, Naila as we made it a day with an early dinner and snacks, but I also enjoyed the great show! In case you were wondering how you too can go and see it they have been extended until January 5th!
Quintessential Theatre is in their 10th season. They are located at 7137 Germantown avenue in Philadelphia PA! Little fact on Saturdays until the New Year you can park for free! So now you have a little more coin for snacks! They have an amazing concession stand serving wine, beer, popcorn, and candy for your enjoyment. They even have hot chocolate and tea for purchase as well.
To get tickets go here!
Thank you to Quintessence Theatre for having me. Thank you Carrie for always including me. Thank you to the cast who surpassed my expectations. Everyone was extremely welcoming to me and my daughter! I can’t wait to see what other amazing shows are produced here!!
