Michelle Creber as DorothyFootlight Theatre
The Wizard of Oz

Dates and Venue 4 - 19 November | Michael J. Fox Theatre, Burnaby

Reviewer Ed Farolan

This amateur production has all the makings of professional theatre. Footlight celebrates its 45th anniversary with The Wizard of Oz , so far the company's biggest show, with a cast of more than 70 adults, teens and kids, including professional and amateur performers from all over the Lower Mainland. Starring Michelle Creber as Dorothy who did a fantastic rendition of the role popularized by Judy Garland in the 1939 film version. Director/choreographer Lalainia Lindbjerg Strelau, musical director Michael Creber, and a team of award-winning designers including set designer Marshall McMahen, costumer Christina Sinosich and lighting designer Michael Schaldemose.

But the opening night audience seemed to applaud Chris Adams (Cowardly Lion), the most, as he nearly stole the show from 12-year-old Creber who got rave reviews from her role as Annie in the 2009 TUTS production and also her 2010 Gateway Theatre performance. Kimberley Page, a veteran in show business, is Dorothy’s nemesis, as she convincingly plays the nasty Miss Gulch/Wicked Witch of the West. Bree Greig (Glinda the Good Witch) was mesmerizing in her utterly immaculate white costume. She is remembered as Maria in The Sound of Music and the Narrator in Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat).

Dorothy’s two other quirky sidekicks are played by Benjamin Wardle (Scarecrow), and Theo Marx (Tinman) and Chris Adams (Cowardly Lion), and they did a fabulous job supporting Creber. These talented performers share the stage with a colourful chorus of Munchkins, Ozians and exotic Flying Monkeys, children and adults of all ages.

The audience, perhaps composed mostly of family members and friends, was entertained as actors flew on and off the stage, and were enthralled with other stage effects, including the Wizard's image which appeared almost like a hologram. The audience was also especially delighted by the singing and dancing, especially from the younger children.

The Wizard of Oz was a 1902 musical extravaganza based on The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum, originally published in 1900. It premiered in Chicago and later moved to Broadway in 1903, where it ran for 293 performances from January 21, 1903 to December 31, 1904. In 1939, MGM made a film version starring Judy Garland as Dorothy, and the film received several Academy Award nominations. "Over the Rainbow" won the Academy Award for Best Original Song.

© 2011 Ed Farolan