Simply wizard!: The Yellow Brick Road leads to Canada - stage production of 'The Wizard of Oz'

Performing Arts & Entertainment in Canada, Spring, 1998 by Kati Rekai

Toronto's Hummingbird Centre is the first Canadian host of an exciting new stage production of The Wizard of Oz. Today's children and their parents and grandparents mostly remember the very successful and enduring movie filmed in 1939, (and its video version, sold in the millions of copies), but the story of The Wizard of Oz dates back much further.

The idea for the fairy tale took shape in 1898 when Lyman Frank Baum was playing storyteller to a group of children in his Chicago parlour. Two years later, Baum put the story down on paper, and it may have been the first children's book to deal with the aftermath of an environmental disaster. In any case, the outcome has delighted children and adults for nearly a century.

The story of what happened to Dorothy and her beloved dog Toto after a tornado displaced them from their Kansas home to a strange and magical land is one of the most familiar tales in our culture. Every adult and child knows the details: the Scarecrow, the Tinman arid the Cowardly Lion; the search for the Wizard; the frightful encounter with the Wicked Witch of the West; and the helpful munchkins. All these characters and even the lure of the Yellow Brick Road has entered our consciousness as metaphors for the lessons of life. The story had a magic which 'endures to this day, as special as it was a hundred years ago.

Conceived and produced by Tim Hawkins, the stage version which premiered last year at New York's Madison square Garden, almost overrides the legend of the film. Hawkins displayed some wizardry and courage of his own, negotiating with Ted Turner for the rights and putting together a colourful adaptation which filled the 5,000-seat Garden every night.

This end-of-the-century retelling of the legendary tale comes to life through the energetic performance of the equally legendary Mickey Rooney as the Wizard. Rooney's association with the film dates back to 1939 when his friend and frequent co-star, Judy Garland, starred as Dorothy. Rooney watched her every day on the set as she created what would become her most famous film role. Rooney himself has logged some 70 years in show business, starred in over 50 films, and is well-known to young and old alike.

Eartha Kitt, who plays the Wicked Witch of the West, also has a career that dates back many decades. Her international reputation comes from years as a dancer in Europe. (I saw her in Monte Carlo in 1959.) Orson Welles thought that Kitt was "the most exciting woman in the world", and he signed her to play Helen of Troy in his successful stage production of Dr. Faust. Kitt's numerous and popular roles on Broadway have earned her Tony Award nominations. She also has garnered Emmy and Grammy Awards.

Sixteen-year-old Jessica Grove was chosen from 500 applicants who auditioned for the role of Dorothy. She has the voice of a nightingale and her resume reads like the CV of a veteran actress. An honour student at Hilliard Davidson High School in Ohio, she has, among her credits, performances for stage, film, video and television commercials. On this, her fourth visit to Canada, she was asked if performing with such celebrities is frightening. "Not at all," she replied. "They are so wonderful with me and give me so much confidence." Grove's confidence grows stronger with every step she takes on the Yellow Brick Road to Emerald City with her unusual companions.

Tony Award-winner Lara Teeter plays the Scarecrow who is hoping to receive a brain. Stratford veteran Dirk Lumbard, who won a Stage Door Award for his role in The Music Man, plays the Tinman in need of a heart. Ken Paige, who originated the role of the Cowardly Lion in New York, returns, still in search of courage.

Dorothy's uncle is played by Bob Druan, whose professional career began as a child actor. Among his many credits, he played Higgins in Lerner and Leow's My Fair Lady and G.B. Shaw's Pygmalion.

Dorothy's Aunt Em and Glenda the Good Witch are played by Judith McCauley who was not only a member of the original New York cast, but excelled in the same role at the Paper Mill Playhouse in New Jersey (the pre- cursor to Hawkins' New York production).

Last, but not least, Toto the dog is played by Plenty, an adorable Cairn terrier, who has her own private dressing room and two understudies. Her travels as a performer include the U.S.A., Mexico and Korea, and she can now add Canada to the list.

Lighting and special effects (like the airborne Kansas City house), and the familiar songs: Over the Rainbow and Follow the Yellow Brick Road will enchant young ', and old alike; so much so that the Hummingbird Centre has had to extend the show's run from three weeks to four, winding up on June 27.

Kati Rekai is a journalist, broadcaster and the author of a series of travel books for children.