Photo by Keith Stewart
Dorothy Gale, played by Daniella Davila, clutches her companion Toto, played by Compo.

•July 15, 2015•

By Dan Hagen
NP Theatre Critic

The Little Theatre’s family-focused season, which began with “Mary Poppins,” continues today with “The Wizard of Oz.”
And yes, it’s THAT “Wizard of Oz,” the 1939 MGM film version with which the world is most familiar, slightly expanded and extended with a song by Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice.
Fantasy is a much simpler sell on film, of course, and there’s a moment or two when the capable performers could use a little extra special effects help. Mollyanne Nunn, for example, tries valiantly to be ethereal as Glinda the Good Witch, but could use a boost from something shiny, at least a pin spot.
But what director John Stephens may lose in movie magic, he more than makes up for in the magic of immediacy. All the familiar characters are there, right in front of you, sustained by the performers’ belief in them, something you can see in their eyes. You may be surprised at how well a very strong cast can keep this Baum ticking.     Login or Subscribe to read the rest of this story.