We’re Off to See the Wizard…

 

Our family theme this past week has been Wizard of Oz. We’ve been eating, sleeping, and breathing Wizard of Oz. Mary Kate tried out for and made her first high school musical back in the fall and last week the cast performed a total of 8 times, 3 of which we attended. What a fantastic production! We were so sad when it was over and my boys have been lamenting ever since. Wizard of Oz is truly a story that has stood the test of time. It’s enjoyed by kids and adults alike.

My opinion would probably not be considered the most objective because my own favorite daughter was in the production, but I think it’s pretty safe to say that as high school musicals go, this one pretty darn good; maybe even the best I’ve seen. I grew up in a school district full of schools that knew how to pull off a high school musical, and this one was up there. These kids are talented, and in the hands of great teacher/directors (Thanks Mr. Shelley and Mr. Wilcock), this play was well worth the ticket price.

Mary Kate has been mostly absent from our house, especially this last month, as she has spent every afternoon and most of her Saturdays working hard to help pull off this production. It was fun to go see what she’s been up to all this time.

She played three different parts in the ensemble…a Munchkin, manicurist #3 (spiffing up the loin’s paws in Oz), and a Jitter-bug (from a scene that was cut from the movie, but remains in the stage version).

First off, the Munchkin scene was darling. To appear shorter the cast performed on their knees. They had little, puffy shoes strapped to their knees and the effect was pretty hilarious. True to form, MK put her whole self into her little parts. Once again I loved watching her expressions throughout. The entire ensemble cast did an amazing job. I looked hard and diligently and couldn’t see one person out of character.

The six leads (7 if you count the darling little dog who played Toto) were incredibly talented.

Noelle and Justin as Dorothy and the Scarecrow. (Loki the dog as Toto. My dad said the dog should win a Tony award for best animal in a musical).

The Tin Man played by Nathan. Isn’t that costume fantastic? It rattled perfectly.

 
Claire as Glinda. She was born to play this role!

 
Andrea in the role of the Wicked Witch. MK says you won’t find a nicer or kinder girl at the school so you could say that her acting was pretty phenomenal.

A good friend of MK’s, Riley, played the cowardly lion. He was perhaps my favorite. He definitely got the most laughs from the audience. Such a talented guy.

The jitter bug scene was a favorite because it was new to all of us. As Dorothy and crew are on their way through the haunted forest in search of the witch’s castle, the witch decides to cast another wicked spell in her efforts to catch Dorothy. The jitter bugs (or spooks) come out in droves to haunt and bite. Once bitten, the victims are doomed to dance the jitterbug until they drop from exhaustion and then they can be carried away by the flying monkeys.

 

On closing night MK came home in tears. Complete exhaustion was somewhat responsible for those tears, but I know a lot those tears were genuine emotion. These kids worked hard together for many months and had so much fun making memories. It’s hard to see it all end. Mary Kate talked about how lucky she was to be a part of it all and about the life lessons she picked up along the way. She truly was lucky to have this experience.

As for the rest of us, we’ve been quoting and singing Wizard of Oz all weekend and there seems to be no end to this in sight. It’s a pretty catchy play.

Maybe the most bewitched audience member of all was my little niece Amelia who came to see the play and was bedazzled by the beautiful, pink, and glittering Glinda…

A hearty thanks to all family members and friends who took the time to come and support Mary Kate in this amazing experience. One of the life lessons she has had reinforced is how constant and supportive her family truly is. Thank you all, it meant a lot to us. We are feeling the love!