J*Company’s dazzling youth production, directed and choreographed by Becky Cherlin, features beautiful sets (Heidi Seivers) and costumes (Becke Shulman) of Oz that vividly contrast to the dull earth tones of the beginning and ending Kansas settings. Heidi’s evil witch’s lair, throne room of Oz, and a menacing-looking forest where lurk lions and tigers and bears, all helped to plop us squarely in Oz. Dorothy’s huge house literally gets lifted from the ground by the fateful twister and drops down again on the unlucky Wicked Witch of the East. Fun props include a large black rat that watches the Wicked Witch of the West as she brews her brew, as well as scooters and mopeds and bouncy balls that serve the transportation needs of the “flying” monkeys. Becke’s costumes are bright and cheery and imaginative – especially with the Munchkins, which adorn the cutest, and one of the most enthusiastic, groups of little Munchkins you’ll ever see!

Speaking of all those people adorning the costumes and gallivanting around the impressive sets is a fine cast of young actors averaging about ten or eleven years of age, and quite obviously enjoying the opportunity to become the beloved characters that most of them have known since as way far back as they can remember. Meagan Rossin fills the role of Dorothy with delight at meeting her strange new friends in Oz, troubled concern at some of the scarier moments of the story, as well as a beautiful voice. Her strange friends are all charming comedians, what with the Scarecrow’s (Adam Covalt) floppy dancing, the Tin Woodsman’s (Andrew Levy) melodramatic sentimentality, and Lion’s (Samantha Greenstone) heightened nervousness (except when he happily lets himself get pampered in the Emerald City).

Injecting more than a hatful of wickedness into the story was Danielle Blum whose cackling laugh and outrageously sinister voice leave no doubt this Wicked Witch will stop at nothing to inherit her dearly departed sister’s ruby slippers. While her adversary, the great Wizard of Oz himself (Sophie Vener), gave the whole show a huge dose of exuberance with her shrill, almost Munchkin-like, voice giving her speeches an air of stratospheric heights.

Rob Hopper
San Diego Playbill