THE WIZARD OF OZ

Do not miss this Broadway-quality show, from 5-Star Theatricals! We’re very lucky to have it in SoCal!!! It’s perfect for absolutely everyone! But you have only this weekend left to see it.

There’s soooo much to say, all good, about this The Wizard of Oz, so this review may be a tad long. But I need to laud every single cast member and aspect of the production. This is one I really wish was not such a limited-time production because otherwise, it could, and should, run for years! And for perhaps the very first time, I have not one negative thing to say!

First let me declare my complete love of the classic film version of The Wizard of Oz. So, even though I love all the presentations I’ve seen from 5* Theatricals, I was a tad skeptical this time because I could not figure out how they could possibly do this story as a live production—there are so many parts of the film that I thought could not be recreated on a stage. So I’m thrilled that they stayed as close to the movie as possible. Such a gargantuan effort is needed to do this show right, and 5-Star Theatricals went beyond!

My usually very critical self would not change even one little thing about it. The performances are all excellent, which rarely happens. The music is great, the costumes are stunners, the sets are a surprise delight, and all the special touches are spectacular surprises. The direction, choreography, and musicians are spot-on. And it’s fun from the get-go, when a real live Toto runs across the stage!

Most impressive is that they do basically the entire movie just about word-for-word. (And believe me, I know that script! It’s Mr. X and my romantic movie! Don’t ask.) My friend Doug enjoyed the show with me on opening night, and said, “When you do a story that everybody loves, you have to be careful to not try to reinvent the wheel and create something completely new. It’ll lose its charm. And this company has done a very good job of paying homage to the story with a creative adaptation for the stage, which carries all of the film’s original charm.” So we were happy that they didn’t change anything except having Auntie Em and Uncle Henry play two of the characters in Dorothy’s dream, which they don’t in the movie. I give full credit to director Richard Israel for all of that.

This production even includes a fabulous musical number, The Jitterbug, which was part of the original movie before it got cut. So that was a really fun surprise, even to me, (who did not know of that omission before,) especially because it’s the big production number. They do all the original song lead-ins, as well.

This version features a very attractive cast, all the way around, even the Wicked Witch! I love that casting directors Michael Donovan and Richie Ferris had the foresight to cast someone as pretty as Becky Lythgoe in that role. She’s so wonderfully wicked that you don’t even notice her looks, though—just her comedic evilness. I know her a bit in real life, and now may never look at her the same way in person again.

And I’m happy to report that I loved the trio of Dorothy’s new pals: Eric Stanton Betts as the Scarecrow, Lucas Alifano as the Tin Man, and Tom Anawalt as the Cowardly Lion. Their portrayals were all exactly right. But my fave was a surprise to even myself—it’s the Cowardly Lion! We, the public, always look for actors to make roles “their own,” but in the case of this musical, the movie is perfection, so I really wanted the characters to not be reinventions, especially for the children who will look to this show as their introduction to the classic story. And Tom is as close to giving us the full charm of Bert Lahr as one can! I absolutely adored him!

The most beautiful voice belongs to Cassandra Marie Murphy, as Glinda, The Good Witch. (She also plays Auntie Em, though I didn’t realize that until the end.) [Note: I love talented couples, so I have to point out that both “witches” have equally talented husbands in real life! Cassandra’s is actor John Shartzer, who has been my favorite actor in a few productions I’ve reviewed in recent years; I wish he was in every show! And Becky’s hubby is also one of my favorite people—fabulous producer and writer, Kris Lythgoe. I wish that everyone was as clever, and especially lovely, as he is! “Search” all of their names in this e-zine to see past positive reviews I’ve written about the work of the quartet of them.]

In a slight twist, Mike Baker, who also plays Uncle Henry, is the most charming Emerald City gatekeeper. I still haven’t reconciled that both characters are the same actor! Noah Kaplan is splendidly comedic as Professor Marvel and The Wizard. And my pal Doug gave immediate props to Hannah Sedlacek for her understated Dorothy and her sweet singing of the iconic Somewhere Over the Rainbow.

Something that does not happen often in shows is that a few ensemble members catch our eyes. But it definitely did in this one! As a ballet lover, I literally gasped when ballet dancers Samantha Bell and Jacob Ray did just a few gorgeous moves. As much as I love this The Wizard of Oz, I literally wanted to just freeze it for a moment and watch these two magnificent dancers for a few hours! Choreographer Clarice Ordaz was wise to feature them.

And then, as the “munchkins” were dancing, my eyes kept being drawn to one of them. It was Bayley Tanenbaum, who was not doing anything crazy to make me notice her, but I just did. And then, just as I was making a note of that, Doug whispered the very same thing, telling me,“That girl is very charismatic.”

Actually, everyone in this show is excellent, even the kids in the ensemble. None of them are obnoxious, or looking like they’re just kidding around up there. They all give it everything they’ve got, and appear to be having the time of their lives doing so. What a marvelous opportunity 5-Star Theatricals is providing for these youngsters!

This is how enthralled with the show I was—for perhaps the first time ever, I forgot to take curtain call photos because I was applauding so fervently! I feel bad about that because I really did want to show you the entire superb cast! (So you’ll just have to see the show for yourselves this final weekend.)

Now let’s get to the technical aspects of this The Wizard of Oz. The entire production is incredibly well done, and features so many fun visuals.The sets are all beautiful, and the costumes are colorful and spot-on. The famous ruby slippers are downright dazzling! (And I should know—I have two pairs myself! I wish I had thought to wear them to opening night.)

Doug pointed-out that the colors of the set and costumes get vibrant when Dorothy’s house lands in Munchkinland, to emulate that the movie goes from black-and-white to color at that point. Brilliant!

And they do the yellow brick road in such a clever way. I was looking down to write a note about something else at that point, and I heard the entire audience ooh and ahh, so I looked up and saw it. And was immediately impressed.

Every bit of the show is so creative—the flying, the monkeys, the poppies, the guards. Even a trio of crows in the background of If I Only Had a Brain are a great addition to the proceedings.

On a slight personal note, I chuckled knowingly when Auntie Em told Dorothy, “You want fun, go join the circus.” But I can tell you from experience, (because I was in one as a teenager,) it’s not that much fun. Trust me on that.

Before the show begins, 5-Star Theatricals’ Executive Director, Cindy Murray, ends her brief “welcome” speech, with “There’s no place like the theater,” which is a lovely riff on the famous line, “There’s no place like home,” that Dorothy says at the end of the show. I love that full-circle situation.

I desperately want Mr. X to experience this wonderful The Wizard of Oz because he had to miss the opening, so I’ll be seeing it again this final weekend. I hope you all do the same, especially the children of SoCal, or you’ll be seriously missing out!

The Wizard of Oz running through July 19, 2026
Bank of America Performing Arts Center’s Fred Kavli Theatre
2100 Thousand Oaks Blvd. Thousand Oaks
805-449-2787 www.5startheatricals.com