We’re not in Kansas anymore, man!
Get ready to “Ease on Down” for META Performing Arts’ production of the Tony Award-winning musical “The Wiz,” an urban rendition of the classic modern fairy tale “The Wizard of Oz,” from Nov. 14-23 at the Lincoln Theatre in Mount Vernon.
There’s no classical “Over the Rainbow” here, but funky, bluesy numbers that “Wiz” cast members say are a nice change of pace from the traditional show tunes they’re used to performing.
“It’s very fun, very soulful, and I love singing that sort of music,” said Ria Peth Vanderpool, 26, of Burlington, who portrays sweatshop tyrant Evillene — the wicked witch of the story.
Wicked witch or dominatrix? Tough to tell the difference, what with Vanderpool’s self-designed and -made costume of fishnet stockings, high-heeled black leather boots, ragged dark-colored skirt and black bustier.
Evillene has plenty of soul, and that engagingly evil persona that Vanderpool relishes.
“It’s very different than any other part I’ve played,” she said, waving her hips from side to side slowly — moving into character. Playing evil is so much more FUN than good, she said with a wink.
Many of the musical’s characters are over-the-top, a big attraction for some of the cast members who wanted to stretch their acting skills.
Just a year after playing a transvestite who went heavy on the makeup in Theater Arts Guild’s production of “The Rocky Horror Show,” Jonathan Fields finds himself once again in a costume that befuddles the eyes and smacks of bad taste — a black jacket dotted with pea-sized blue and silver rhinestones, a black fedora circled by a rhinestone-covered band, green eyeshadow, a bright green tie and an extravagant emerald ring.
It’s all an essential part of playing “The Wiz,” a con man who builds himself up as an intimidating magician with more glitz and glamor than substance; in other words, he’s all show.
Vanderpool and Fields are two of the few actors in the 46-member cast who portray just one character throughout the show. Most of the young cast has to juggle three or four characters to give them decent time on stage, said director Suzann McLamb.
“If I cast everybody in one role, they’d only be on stage for two minutes or so,” she said. “I really wanted to give them plenty of time to perform.”
Switching so quickly among vastly different characters is a great way to stretch an actor’s skills, and fits well into META’s mission of providing youth with plenty of acting opportunities and mentoring, McLamb said.
And that goes for the fuzzier actors.
McLamb took a chance on a budding canine presence for the role of Toto.
Sitting quietly in a woven picnic basket during rehearsals, Mister Harry Roy Wiggles, a 4-year-old Yorkshire terrier, watched from a distance as the young cast danced across the floor.
Wiggles, described as a “ham” by owner Patty Huizinga, is making his own acting debut in the show, and seemed perfectly at ease among the noise and action.
McLamb was a little hesitant in casting a real dog at first, but was swayed by the little pup’s calm demeanor and the challenge of working with an animal on stage.
“The cute factor gets to me,” McLamb said, laughing.
META organizers had been talking about producing “The Wiz” for a long time, McLamb said.
The 1975 Broadway musical by Frank Baum was a hit in the age of disco and funk, a time when Motown was still hot. It was a breakthrough show for Broadway, featuring an all-African American cast. With such catchy tunes as the famous “Ease on Down the Road” and “No Bad News,” the show stayed on Broadway for more than four years and 1,600 performances, and won seven Tony Awards.
The story includes the same favorite characters with a few twists: There’s Dorothy, the Tin Man, the Cowardly Lion and the Scarecrow; the Munchkins; the Good Witch, and the Yellow Brick Road.
META has added its own touch to the show, including a more updated hip-hop choreography. And the Emerald City also will seem familiar — it’s essentially been modeled after Seattle and sports a latté stand.
Because when it comes to producing a show and connecting with audiences, there’s no place like (close to) home.
Beverly Crichfield can be reached at 360-416-2135 or .
