Madison Square Garden Company Presents THE WIZARD OF OZ Review – Somewhere Over the Rainbow

She’ll Get You and Your Little Dog Too!

Toto (played by a dog named Murphy) stole the show from the beginning. The second he ran onto to stage and into the arms of Dorothy (Kalie Kaimann) the crowd erupted in awws and oohs. When he wasn’t on stage people could be heard whispering about Toto’s whereabouts. His absence for most the Second Act was deeply felt as the adorable, scruffy, and seemingly sleepy pup won us over in the first scene. However, Emily Perzan’s Wicked Witch of the West was a definite point for the humans in the cast. From the second she burst onto the scene as Miss Gulch to take Toto away, it was clear Perzan would be a fine choice for the broomstick that would accompany her for the remainder of the show. As the Wicked Witch of West the actress seemed to take delight in each cackle on her pursuit of the Ruby Red Slippers and seemed more at home in the Witch’s costume than Miss Gulch’s outfit.

A Bit of Song and Dance

Amy Marie McCleary’s choreography was another bright spot in this show. The small group of dancers, and dances themselves, were captivating enough to almost deserve their own show (even if these numbers might be part of the reason Toto didn’t get enough stage time) and were impressive in their own right. Whether they were making subtle movements while investigating who dropped a house on The Wicked Witch of the East, or in a full on dance number in the Haunted Forest, they stole quite a bit of scenes.

This musical not only has the songs from the film but also features quite a bit of music written afterwards. The band, led by Music Director Lizzie Webb, also caused a bit of toe tapping and left some audience members wishing they’d been given programs to see the names of the unfamiliar songs. Whether they were sending Dorothy and friends on their journey with the familiar “We’re Off to see the Wizard” or playing an unfamiliar standout called “Jitterbug” the band was consistently solid.

About the Author

Sharai Bohannon is a playwright, and an avid theatre practitioner, who is very excited to write about most things but especially Chicago Theatre. She has a background in journalism and technical theatre and is excited that those degrees will be put to use in a way that gives her an excuse to leave her couch and brave this “outside” that people keep telling her about. When not on her couch watching TV, she can be found working one of her multiple jobs and/or hunting down a happy hour near you. Read some of Sharai Bohannon’s New Works on New Play Exchange.

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