Bravo!
That goes out to the cast and crew from Barrhead Composite High School who staged their production of The Wizard of Oz. I caught the Thursday show, and it was truly an entertaining experience. All of the actors did a great job, and there were several outstanding performances. Dylan Brenneis literally brought the Scarecrow to life, and his actions on stage made you think he could actually be a scarecrow. He was agile, for lack of a better term, and I still have no idea how he was able to slide from his knees to his feet so gracefully.
I also enjoyed the Wicked Witch, played by Elsie Mountford. She had a downright nasty cackle that I’m sure would scare younger children. The green makeup and elongated nose truly brought out the “witchiness” in her.
Watching the play, I couldn’t help but get caught up in the spirit of what is The Wizard of Oz. I remember watching the movie as a child, and the wonder that I felt when Dorothy tumbled out of a black-and-white sky into the technicolour landscape of Oz.
It’s a movie that children today should definitely watch. Not only is it great entertainment, but it teaches a valuable life lesson, and that is that you don’t have to go any further than your own back yard to look for what you want in life.
Watching the play also brought back a lot of memories. I was a member of the lollypop league from Munchkin Land when I was in Grade 1. I have a twin sister, and we were both part of the play. My mom still has it on video tape somewhere. That was such a long time ago, and I can still remember the words to some of the songs. It was my friend who played the part of the cowardly Lion. He was one of the funniest guys in the school, and he had everyone in stitches with his singing and dancing.
As I sat and watched the play at BCHS, I found myself singing some of the songs. We’re off to see the wizard, the wonderful wizard of Oz. We know he is a wonderful wiz, if ever a wonderful wiz there was...
The students at BCHS all did a great job with the limited tools at their disposable. When I talked to Director Peter Bonemma a few days before the play, he told me that his students embraced the cheesiness of The Wizard of Oz. And that they did. It made me chuckle when the flying monkey jumped off a platform only to be replaced by small silouhettes on popsicle sticks, or the stuffed Toto that often magically moved all of its own accord thanks to some puppetry.
All in all, it was a good show, and I look forward to the next production from BCHS students.
