What:           Review of "The Wizard of Oz"

                          As published in the Yorba Linda Star

Quicktake:   Sheer wonderland magic descends upon Yorba Linda like a Kansas tornado

          Take a little bit of pixie dust, sprinkle on a whimsical script, and voilà, sheer magic!

A couple of years ago, the Atkins family shared with me their vision of a new youth musical theater venture and I could hardly wait for the results.  I was not disappointed, but instead awed, sitting through the ambitious staging with eyes wide open and mouth agape like a star struck kindergartner.

The production crew, headed by founders Lori and Mitch Atkins, also Technical Director, features a who's who of veteran Disneyland pros, setting a stratospheric standard of creativity and flawless technical realization.  Director Mark Tesoro, Choreographer Daniel Solis, and Set Designer Brian Sandahl are respectively Casting Director, Choreographer and Art Director at the Disneyland Resort, with Amanda Hoyny as Musical Director.

The Frank Baum classic's stage version follows the movie, with music and lyrics by Harold Arlen and E.Y. Harburg and is ideally suited to a dream like treatment based on its very topic.

Dorothy (Britany Atkins) may or may not have dreamt her fantasmic escape to Oz, where the fantasy characters replicate her farm home familiars:  sweet Aunt Em / Glinda, the Good Witch of the North (Bonnie Kovar), Uncle Henry / Guard (Chris Amato), cruel Ms. Gulch / Wicked Witch of the West (Jasmine Curry), Professor Marvel / Wizard (Dave Teeter), and the three hapless farm hands, Hunk / Scarecrow (Brian Eager), Hickory / Tinman (Nathan Hieger) and Zeke / Lion (David Lonky).  Toto remains himself in Oz and Kansas, but he's the only actor with two alter egos, litter mates Rascal and Madeline who alternate in the role.

All youngsters and the couple of adults give wonderful performances with plenty of humor.

The biggest obstacle to an Oz stage rendering is the elaborate scene changes, all calling for imaginative scenery, with the Kansas farm, the Yellow Brick Road, Munchkinland, Oz's Emerald City and Wizard's chamber, and the witch's castle.  These rigorous changes interrupted the flow in an otherwise flawless production, but were nonetheless well worth the wait.

The twister scene features surreal cyclone dancers under the captainship of Madison Mitchell, dressed in rags in a number reminiscent of a Stravinsky sequence.

The Munchkins give even the youngest performers a chance to giggle and shine, with the Lollipop Guild and Lullaby League all spic and span in their luscious rainbow-hued garments.

The journey to Oz, when Dorothy gathers her trail companions, offers many more magical moments, with the inventive crows and apple orchard.  The seductive poppy field is suggested by umbrellas which reverse to reveal snow flakes, with a real snowfall cascading from the ceiling.

Oz has a sleek retro look, with an eclectic green, yellow and purple scheme.  The Wizard's special effects are as powerful as he is weak.

The Wicked Witch's castle's brown, grey and red palette is echoed by the Winkie guards' and Flying Monkey team's costuming.

Underlying the surreal musical story is a solid tale of morals, with clashing good and evil forces as well as the recognition of superficially defective character traits and their astute overcoming by a little bit of self esteem in the form of symbolic accessories, a pragmatic response to the trickery of smoke and mirrors.

The gala opening's food was on par with the show, with a delicious hors d'oeuvre and dessert selection served under the stars in the Forum's quad.

The Atkins love our Yorba Linda Forum Theater, and it came alive once more, like a grand old dame brushing off her dusty garments into a new found glory which clamors of a promising future yet.

In spite of its image, North Orange County is far from a cultural wasteland.  The wealth of talent is right there in our back yard, ready to be nurtured and bring to bloom where it has its roots.