This review was written by a TeenTix KC teen who is learning about arts journalism through the Press Corps, which provides teens with training and tools to respond to their arts experiences. TeenTix KC seeks to engage teens in the arts and amplify their voices. This may be the first time this teen has publicly expressed their opinion about an arts experience. Thank you for reading and supporting this teen’s development as an arts journalist.
The Wizard of Oz is a story in every Kansan’s backyard. The familiarity and universal story of The Wizard of Oz, especially for someone from Kansas, made this ballet so wonderful. It is easier to understand the depth of Kansas City Ballet’s costumes, dancers, and choreography when you know the story.
Something that audiences will be able to identify immediately is the excellent distinction between Glinda’s Munchkinland and the Wicked Witch’s home. The color choices, costume details, and music all helped to create this contrast between the two witches.
Before the show, I was already curious how they were going to make Glinda the Good Witch, played by Sidney Haefs and Amelia Meissner, stand out. In the musical versions, she wears a pink-toned dress, has a high soprano voice, and travels in an iconic bubble. But how do you make that seem possible in a show where you cannot sing, where you cannot necessarily wear a ball gown, and you most certainly can’t dance if she’s inside of a bubble? Nevertheless, her entrance was perfect, delicate, and enchanting. When she entered, a white spotlight hit upon her, and many pink spotlights were lit around her; she didn’t have a bubble, but seeing all the tiny pink circles on the floor gave you the same feeling of enchantment. Though she could not sing, she stole the show when she danced to the softest music, seeming ethereal. She wore a white costume with many sparkles, which gave her distinction among her group of munchkins. All her munchkins were full of life. There were a multitude of groups, each with a different costume. The variety of colors and abstract shapes, and the fact that they had a different outfit than her, conveyed more freedom in the realm of Glinda.
In stark contrast, the environment of the Wicked Witch, played by Mei McArtor and Noura Sander, was dark. Its primary shape was simply rectangles and straight lines. Its color was limited to purples and greens that glowed against the dark background, which conveyed power. The Witch’s costume was black, and from a distance it looked like leather. Likewise, many of the ensemble in the Witches’ dances wore costumes made of leather rectangles that resembled hers. The similarity between them conveyed order and obedience to the Witch.
Beyond the characters, the production also brought iconic items, such as the yellow brick road and Dorothy’s slippers. Since they were so recognizable, it was easier to appreciate how they were specifically recreated in ballet. The yellow brick road, for instance, was not only a path of yellow bricks; Septime Webre choreographed the ensemble in a way that transformed beyond a setting and helped convey the hope of the yellow brick road. Sometimes the dancers would carry Dorothy, played by Gillian Yoder, in a dance; at one point, she walked on their hands as they lifted her, showing that they were literally taking her to some place. This brilliance combined with the costumes: flat rectangular pieces of different shades of yellow fabric that flapped out helped the road shine as bright as the sun.
Another iconic item that was recreated brilliantly was the ruby slippers. Since the shoes are one of the most important pieces of the show, it made me pay close attention to Yoder’s feet and appreciate her strong and graceful pointe work. Nevertheless, the shoes themselves had me curious. During the production, I even peered from my seat and accidentally bumped into the seat in front of me when I was trying to identify what her pointe shoes were made of. I wondered if there were rhinestones all over them? Would that be hard to dance with? No, maybe it’s glitter; no, no, it can’t be, or else there would be glitter all over the dance floor.
Apparently, I was not the only one who was curious about her shoes. KC49 wrote a feature, How Kansas City Ballet gives Dorothy’s ruby slippers their sparkle, 288 rhinestones at a time, about the work of Costume Director Jennifer Carroll, who put them into production. The slippers are another example of how when we are familiar with something, it allows us to pay more attention to the smaller details.
Beyond recreating iconic items, the aspect that impressed me the most was the ability to convey the bond between Dorothy and Toto. The moment Dorothy appeared amongst her family in Kansas, her blue colors and happy expression let the audience know she was a trailblazer amongst them. When Toto arrived, I was filled with awe. The dancers Johnny Castle and Payton Boddy have blue costumes that match perfectly with Dorothy, while not having a pattern to outshine her. Many times, puppeteers are dressed in black so they are more unnoticeable, but Castle’s outfit perfectly matched Dorothy, making them look like a duo made to be together in every world, no matter what world. Nicholas Mahon, the creator of Toto’s puppet, did an incredible job constructing a puppet that could be brought to life, and Castle did a remarkable job always ensuring that Toto had the proper life with his movements and reactions to each scene. It was an art form that came from the heart and helped to show the bond between the two.
Another point is that a ballet version can add other aspects to the story not found in the book or movie that make the story more profound. My favorite part of the whole production was after the core four (Dorothy, the Scarecrow, Tin Man, and the Lion) had told the Wizard their wishes. There was a scene where they were dancing about their future dreams at night. The projected background showed a large white moon that filled at least a third of the background, as well as small glimmering stars. And the bottom of the stage had a smoke machine that produced white, dusty fog looking like clouds. The core four were dancing and twirling softly, delicately, with smiles on their faces. The music was also soft, elegant, and dreamy. The scene made me think of La La Land, my favorite movie, when Mia and Sebastian are dancing happily across the sky. It makes sense that the characters would be daydreaming about their wishes coming true. Though we don’t see that in the movie, and that part isn’t written in the book, the adaptation captured that feeling of hopefulness beautifully.
With that said, the show wasn’t perfect. During the introduction to the core four, they danced and did what appeared to be the floss, an internet meme dance. When doing so, the screen with the animated large yellow brick road dancers did the floss. I personally found it a bit distracting to the dancers in front of the screen. I wondered if they had made that decision on purpose to try to make it engaging for kids. But if that was the case, I don’t think that is necessary. It’s a very child-friendly show, filled with so many other humorous moments that I think will make kids excited.
“I won’t look any further than my own backyard.” This ballet made me feel at home as someone from Kansas City. I felt my heart warm when Dorothy did her final curtain call on the Kauffman Stage, holding a bright burnt yellow bouquet of sunflowers. I hope other people in Kansas City will feel the same warmth. I think to me it might have meant more because next year I hope to go to college out of state, out of Kansas. So it felt bittersweet to think, aww, there really is “no place like home.”
Reviewed by TeenTix KC Press Corps member Natalia Castillejos Ramirez
TeenTix KC is a KC Studio initiative building a brighter future for our region by empowering young people to take an active role in shaping their arts community as audience members, critics, influencers, advocates, patrons and leaders. Any 13-19 year-old can become a TeenTix KC member by downloading a free pass which enables them to buy $5 tickets to participating arts venues across metro KC. Teens are encouraged to become critics and influencers by writing reviews and creating reels about the arts they experience using their TeenTix KC passes.
