Photo: (L-R) Lion, Dorothy, Tin Man & Scarecrow. Photo by Steve Sheldon
Milan Middle School strolled along the yellow-brick road in the L. Frank Baum story The Wizard of Oz at Milan High School April 25-27. Under the direction of Julz A. Meray, with musical director CJ Brooks and stage director Sara Meray, they took a cast of over forty kids off to see the wizard.
Comprised of 5th through 8th grade students, the cast sang and danced their way from Kansas all the way to Oz, and back again. Because there were so many talented youngsters who tried out, major roles were double cast. Aurora Budd and Riles Nelson shared the role of Dorothy. On Sunday afternoon, Budd shined as Dorothy.
Budd sat alone on the stage and sang a beautiful version of the classic “Over the Rainbow.” She displayed a poised presence on stage, remarkable for a sixth grader. Budd’s companions on the way to the Emerald City included Kallie Kriner as Toto, Asia Gardner/Hope Smith-Galanti as the Scarecrow, Piper Hall/Corey Tumuslime as the Tin Man and Franklin Barker (8th grader) as the Cowardly Lion.
The role of Glinda was shared between Ave Barnett and Laynee Dryer. Caitlin Warren portrayed the Wicked Witch of the West. Costumes for both Glinda and the Wicked Witch of the West were superb. And Warren’s green face and hands just added to her menacing presence throughout the play. She reminded the audience of Margaret Hamilton in the original Wizard of Oz movie.
The performance of the Tin Man, Scarecrow and Lion added to the fun. They played their roles to perfection, with the same kind of bumbling but kind presence we saw in the movie.
Director Meray used a nice sleight of hand in creating the Wizard. A gigantic face dropped from the rafters, and with a moving mouth, the great and powerful Wizard shouted his orders. It worked well. And it was fun.
Music director CJ Brooks and stage director Sara Meray sat at a table by the stage and ensured the music hit the right cues and supported the singers with direction throughout the performance. It was clearly a labor of love for both.
Director Meray included lots of kids in the production and gave each of them something important to do. For many, The Wizard of Oz was their first appearance on stage, but you would never have known it. The choreography, though simple, worked and gave all the kids a chance to participate in a big production number.
The audience enjoyed the performance applauding, hooting, hollering and whistling their approval after every song. The Wizard of Oz concludes the performances for Milan this season. But they will be back in the fall for more.
The same question has been asked for decades, whether by Anna Laughlin from 1903 from the original Broadway production, Judy Garland in 1939 from the big screen or Aurora Budd from the stage at Milan High School, we still seek the answer to:
“…if happy little blue birds fly, beyond the rainbow, why, oh why, can’t I”
Maybe someday we will learn the answer.
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