Amari Lewis, Curtis Gillen, Ryan Melia, and Zachery Garner in The Wizard of Oz (Don Ipock)
Since the moment KCRep announced its current season, I’ve been looking forward to their mounting of The Wizard of Oz. Given the company’s consistent track record of nailing both nostalgia and extravagance, my hopes for this specific undertaking were high. I was expecting something entertaining, dreamy, and visually masterful. (And I got all of that.) What I wasn’t expecting, given how many times most of us have seen this play, the movie, and listened to the songs, was something that felt so new.
For The Wizard of Oz, directed by Artistic Director Stuart Carden, KCRep has once again teamed up with frequent collaborators PigPen Theatre Company. PigPen has previously lent its trademark melancholic folk whimsy to productions of Once and The Old Man and the Moon. For this play, they’ve created original orchestrations and new arrangements that feel at once wholly new and completely faithful to the original work. They did not reinvent The Wizard of Oz, but they injected it full of their unique personality.
Nearly every member of the adult cast doubles as a musician. At the start of the show, familiar faces from PigPen and KCRep sit in the orchestra pit. Throughout the course of the play, members of the band move between the pit and the stage, seamlessly weaving their specific brand of Americana into every inch of this new production.
The visuals in this production are out of this world, starting with Courtney O’Neill’s phenomenal scenic design. Anthony Churchill’s projections are cast onto a backdrop of floor-to-ceiling fringe, giving everything an ephemeral, old film effect. Those projections, along with O’Neill’s practical elements, are transportive. In the show’s most stirring moments, those visuals work beautifully with Connor Wang and Jeanette Oi-Suk Yew’s sound and lighting designs, respectively, and Simple Mischief Studios’ puppetry to create genuinely thrilling scenes. The tornado sequence, especially, is a sensory smorgasbord.
Speaking of Simple Mischief’s puppets, they are worth the trip out to see this show all on their own. Some of the designs (like the flying monkeys) are terrifying; some (like a murder of musician crows) are delightful. But it’s Toto that steals this show. The old adage says never to work with animals or children, lest actors risk being upstaged. Toto proves that the concept should extend to animal puppets as well. This adorable little dog, under the masterful control of Lead Puppeteer Zachery Garner, has the audience giggling and cooing from start to finish. This play is infused with joy, and the puppets—and Toto specifically—are a huge part of that.
The entire cast is stellar—including the remarkably impressive youth cast—but Amari Lewis is a brilliant standout as Dorothy. Lewis has been showcasing her comedic skills and strong vocals in smaller roles at KCRep and on other stages (she’s been a frequent face at The Coterie), but this production makes it clear she can absolutely carry a show. As Dorothy, she’s stepping into a role with some mighty big slippers to fill, one that comes with a deep familiarity and strong associations attached, and is able to make it her own.
The Wizard of Oz is the kind of show that most of us can remember seeing as very young children, the sort where those memories stick with you. It’s exciting to think about how many young Kansas City theatre-goers will have this joyful, exceptionally unique version of the classic as one of their early theatre memories.
“The Wizard of Oz” runs at the Kansas City Repertory Theatre (Spencer Theatre, 4949 Cherry St) through May 24. For more information, visit kcrep.org.
