The Ottawa Citizen - Theatre Review

Oz show uneven despite some bright spots

by Bruce Deachman [Monday, June 4, 2001]

Pat McGrath, The Ottawa Citizen / Dorothy (Shawna McSheffrey) and dog Toto (Ruby), the Lion (Don Lapierre), the Scarecrow (Rejean Dinelle-Mayer) and the Tin Man (Kris Lizuck) are the cast of The Wizard of Oz

The results, judging by Friday night's kickoff of the play's run at Centrepointe Theatre, were more than a bit uneven, as some excellent performances, on and off stage, were mitigated by a number of noticeably lesser ones.

Fortunately, though, it was in some of the marquee roles that the marquee performances were found. Shawna McSheffrey's portrayal of Dorothy highlighted the evening, with her well-defined, evocative feelings of wonder, anger and naivete combining with a powerfully resonant and clear singing voice. Ruby, in the role of Toto, competed closely with McSheffrey for the title of audience favourite, often sticking her nose here, or the odd bark there, to steal more than one scene.

And as with the 1939 film classic, the Scarecrow, played Friday by Rejean Dinelle-Mayer, was excellent, his rubbery actions suggesting either double-jointedness or extra pairs of knees hidden somewhere.

And while Kris Lizuck's Tin Man was solid throughout, Don LaPierre, playing the cowardly Lion, seemed to take most of the evening to warm up to the role, and was hampered all night by an inferior microphone.

Charlotte Stewart's dual role of Miss Gultch and the Wicked Witch of the West was also strong. Moe Romanow (Professor Marvel and The Wizard) and Jim Robertson (Uncle Henry and The Guard of Emerald City) also put in fine performances, while Jane Gale, as both Aunt Em and the good witch, Glinda, needed a bit more force in her roles.

A number of other strong performances, behind the scenes, added to the show. Allison Hamilton's costumes were wonderfully bright and original, from the children's brilliant Munchkin outfits to those of the three hilarious crows. Margaret Coderre-Williams' sets were also befitting such a dreamy fantasy, particularly that of the Wizard himself.

The 15-person orchestra, led by conductor Brian Boggs, provided an accomplished accompaniment to the actions onstage, but tended often to drown out some of the actors' dialogue.

Overall, though, the play was dotted with too many distractions to be properly enjoyed. The beginning of one of the backlit scenes (used to show objects tumbling through the air during the cyclone scenes) was marred by an open curtain at the back of the stage, while a number of other scenes opened with stagehands still onstage and in view.

Some of the choreography could also have used a few more days of rehearsal. While the miscues of the munchkins can be forgiven -- and enjoyed even, given their youthfulness of both age and dexterity -- those of the Wicked Witch of the West's guards only appeared sloppy.

On top of everything, the play was extremely long -- almost three hours, with the shorter second act dragging. Some judicious editing of scenes, such as the excessive "jitterbug" one, would serve the play well. By the time the end was in sight, I suspect more than a few audience members were thinking, "Yes, there is no place like home."