
Westport Country Playhouse Family Festivities Series will present “The Wizard of Oz,” on Saturday, June 21, at 1 and 4 p.m. The classic musical tale that has been entertaining audiences for ages is produced by Vital Theatre Company, based on the children’s novel, “The Wonderful Wizard of Oz,” written by L. Frank Baum and illustrated by W. W. Denslow, and the film, “The Wizard of Oz,” with music and lyrics by Harold Arlen and E. Y. Harburg.
The story follows Dorothy, the Scarecrow, the Tinman, the Cowardly Lion, and munchkin puppetry down the yellow brick road through a re-imagined world of Oz, featuring songs from the original motion picture, including “Over the Rainbow,” “We’re Off to See the Wizard,” “If I Only Had a Brain,” and “Ding Dong, the Witch Is Dead.”
“The Wizard of Oz” is adapted and directed for Vital Theatre Company by Michael Schloegl; background music by Herbert Stothart; dance and vocal arrangements by Peter Howard; orchestration by Larry Wilcox.
The cast includes Madeline de la Parra as Dorothy Gale, Jackson Cline as Scarecrow, Matthew Wangemann as Tinman, Ally Gishi as Glinda/Auntie Em, Edoardo Amador Morales as Witch/Wizard/Uncle Henry, and Taylor Feldman as Witch/Wizard Cover.
Tickets are $30. Recommended for ages 2-7. Running time is approximately one hour.
Since its founding in 1999, Vital Theatre Company has been honored with the Off-Broadway Alliance Award for Best Family Musical, two Awards for Excellence by the Off-Off Broadway Review, and has presented over 75 original productions for over 300,000 children and their families. Vital Theatre Company last year brought “Pinkalicious, the Musical” to the Playhouse stage.