"The Wizard of Oz"

I was really hoping to see the touring production of The Wizard of Oz that performed at the Keith Albee Performing Arts Center tonight, but other obligations had me tied up.

Then, at the last second, my plans changed and I was able to go - and I'm so glad I did! It was one of the best professional (touring) shows I've seen locally, with terrific performers, outstanding costumes and set, some amazing stage effects, and an outstanding performance by about a dozen local young actors from First Stage Theatre Company (not that I'm prejudiced or anything).

The production did a great job of re-creating the original movie. There were a few changes made for the stage, of course, and the show even added in one of the songs (and parts of others) that were cut from the original film, including "The Jitterbug."

The local actors managed to blend in with the professionals, appearing as Munchkins and as the Winkies (the guards of the Wicked Witch). It's great that they got the chance to take part in a professional production like this, and the Tri-State can be proud of their work.

On a humorous note, it's kind of heartwarming to note that even a professional production like this can run into problems. In the climactic scene when the Wicked Witch confronts Dorothy, the Scarecrow, the Tin Man and the Cowardly Lion, for some reason the witch was delayed and didn't make her entrance on time, leaving the rest of the cast frozen in place. They made a few game attempts at covering, and finally the witch was able to make her entrance (I'm assuming there was a technical glitch forcing them to hold - there were a lot of stage effects in the show). But hey, those are the things that makes live theatre so exciting!

All in all, a fantastic performance, and the virtually sold-out audience enjoyed a top-notch production. Kudos to the Marshall Artists Series for making the production available to theatre-goers in the Tri-State!