Earlier this year A.D. Players organized a Munchkin Boot Camp (admittedly not something you hear every day). But rather than trying to round up any number of Little Persons as the 1939 movie did, they ended up with 12 children to play the roles in their production of the classic The Wizard of Oz.
In addition, 20 adult actors will take on the roles of Dorothy, the Cowardly Lion, the Tin Man, the Scarecrow, the Wizard and others in the production about to go on stage at The George Theater. Executive Artistic Director Jayme McGhan says they were looking for something that would be both family-friendly and nostalgic when they settled on this.
But it won’t be so family-friendly that the Wicked Witch of the West has her evil edges blunted. “She’s the standard wicked witch. There’s no messing with her story line in this one,” he says, laughing.
The version they’re using is very similar to the film but brings in some portions of the book by Frank Baum that didn’t make it into the movie, McGhan says. “We wanted to have a show in the season that was nostalgic, that had a little bit of magic, that could test our production value and our production team a little bit and stretch our muscles theatrically. It’s a really big cast, a really big crew, really big designs.”
Director, Sarah Norris, is based in New York. “She’s taken a kind of fun, art nouveau with a little Deco, maybe wit a little bit of steam punk as kind of her vision of it,” McGhan says.
The thematic elements of The Wizard of Oz are pretty traditional, he says. “The notion of desiring to be home. Desiring a place where you feel comfortable and safe, but also needing to push oneself and test oneself.
“There’s also a lot of commentary, it has a strong female empowerment aspect to it. The notion that all the men don’t have brains. it’s one of those shows that brings back nostalgic from most of our childhoods and also reintroduces kids who don’t know it to a story that they should.”
As for the songs, they are all the same ones seen in the movie and a few other. They’ve bringing in a 13-piece orchestra for the production. “It’s got six or seven players that are doubled, tripled or quadrupled up”
“Houston is becoming powerhouse of talent. Every year we’re seeing an increase in the level of talent. We’re getting hundreds that are truly fantastic. Making those decisions of who is cast is tricky.”
Adding to the production challenges is that “We’re flying people. Witches fly. The Monkeys fly. We have to have costumes that work with harnesses that work with wiring. So there’s a lot of technical aspects.”
At the time of the interview, McGhan still didn’t know if any of the kids would be flying. “Of course they all want to fly. ‘Put me in the air!'”
Performances are scheduled for July 11 through August 10 at 7:30 p.m. Wednesdays through Saturdays and 2 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays at The George Theater, 5420 Westheimer. For more information, call 713-526-2721 or visit adplayers.org. $25-$61.25.
