The Yellow Brick Road runs through Philadelphia this week with the new stage adaptation of “The Wizard of Oz,” through June 8 at Kimmel’s Academy of Music.
You and everyone else on Earth know the story of Dorothy and her ragtag band of friends as they venture to Emerald City to see the titular character, but this stage production puts its own stylistic mark on the story, including new songs and an updated artistic aesthetic.
“The story is very much the same as the film,” said out actor Lee MacDougall. “It’s basically the same characters. Dorothy goes on the same journey but the design is different. It’s really elaborate and quite beautiful; there are video elements in the story. The designs, the costumes and the set are not a copy of the film in any way. It’s a reinterpretation of the story in that way. It’s the same familiar story people know but with a whole new element of fantasy and campiness. There’s a lot of comedy in the show as well. The Kansas scenes are all sepia-toned. Some of those elements are similar to the film, but to see it live on stage is beautiful and at the same time different.”
MacDougall plays the Cowardly Lion and said the slightly revamped and updated vision of Oz allows for a more colorful depiction of the familiar character.
“People love the character and it’s a comic turn in the adaptation,” he said. “There’s a lot of comedy and camp for the lion, which is a lot of fun. The costume is crazy. The audience reacts when I first come on just from the costume. I don’t have to do anything; people just laugh at the visual of the costume, which is fun.”
With the numerous versions of “Wizard of Oz” saturating pop culture over the years, it’s hard to fathom anyone not knowing the story, but MacDougall said many of the children being brought to see the stage show are experiencing Oz for the first time.
“Everyone seems to know the story but it’s odd the number of people who bring kids to the show and the kids have no idea what’s going on,” he said. “It’s interesting performing the show and having them yell out because they are caught up in the show and don’t know what’s going to happen next. People who do know the show come because they know what they are going to get and they love the story. It hasn’t been difficult to get great audiences because the story is so beloved and they heard the production is good.”
The Kimmel Center presents “The Wizard of Oz” through June 8 at the Academy of Music, 240 S. Broad St. For more information or tickets, call 215-790-5847 or visit kimmelcenter.org/broadway.