There’s no place like home.
Director and choreographer Sam Pinkleton’s wonderfully wacky “Wizard of Oz” is steeped in an ingenious mix of high camp and low-tech that revels in a distinctly San Francisco sense of aesthetics.
Certainly the staging’s gender fluidity is a nice wink to the culture wars raging across the country. Welcome to Oz, this ACT production seems to say, no matter who you are, you will be celebrated here.
That heartwarming subtext and a whimsy-on-steroids vibe elevates this production, particularly at the beginning and end of Dorothy’s journey. In the middle of the adventure, things tend to sag, particularly for some of the little ones in the audience.
In this Oz revamp, the girl in the blue gingham dress is transformed into a kiddo (Chanel Tilghman) in a Batman T-shirt and a hoodie. The Scarecrow (Danny Scheie) is a crocheted Raggedy Ann-style moppet. The Wicked Witch of the West (Courtney Walsh) is a corporate lawyer-type in a blue suit. Toto is a pink puppet pooch and the guard to Emerald City (El Beh) is sporting a fabulous green sequin mermaid-style gown under the old uniform.
The real ingenuity here is delivered by David Zinn’s over-the-top scenic and costume elements, which often upstage the beloved characters, and even the classic Harold Arlen and E.Y. Harburg score.
The fateful tornado that plucks Dorothy out of Kansas is conjured up by a couple of fans blowing confetti, day-glo hula-loops, a Twister mat and tangles of caution tape in a fantastical neon wonderland.
However, once the storm is over, the giddy energy begins to sputter. The high-jinks with the Munchkins, depicted by giant googly eyes on inanimate objects, and the wicked witch all too often fall flat, my pretties.
“Oz” glitters here and there, notably in the scenes that revolve around Ada Westfall’s insightful turn as Professor Marvel and the wizard, and Cathleen Ridley’s endearing Cowardly Lion. In these interludes, an authentic sense of emotion buttresses the kitschy pageantry overload.
The same goes for Tilghman’s moving rendition of “Somewhere Over the Rainbow.” The actor beautifully conveys what it’s like to a child in a home where the adults are all too busy to hear your truth.
In other moments, however, the humans feel a little eclipsed by the shtick.
While the audience is frequently invited to participate in the action, by yelling boo or wildly waving a yellow napkin, the playfulness often feels less than infectious. The pacing is too pokey to accommodate the “Jitterbug” number in the second act.
Still there’s something about unabashed silliness that’s hard to resist.
Glinda the good witch (a cheeky Katrina Lauren McGraw) injects the production with some real effervescence, courtesy of a toy bubble gun that showers the audience in shimmering orbs that children of all ages can’t resist trying to burst.
And from a parental perspective, watching my tween act like a toddler was worth the price of admission.
Contact Karen D’Souza at [email protected].
‘THE WIZARD OF OZ’
Story by L. Frank Baum, music and lyrics by Harold Arlen and E.Y. Harburg, adapted adapted by John Kane
Through: June 25
Where: Toni Rembe Theater, 415 Geary St., San Francisco
Running time: 2 hours, 45 minutes, one intermission
Details: $25-$110; 415-749-2228, www.act-sf.org
Stay connected with us on social media platform for instant update click here to join our Twitter, & Facebook
We are now on Telegram. Click here to join our channel (@TechiUpdate) and stay updated with the latest Technology headlines.
For all the latest Entertainment News Click Here
