CHICAGO, July 9 (UPI) -- A little imagination, judicious use of a black light and an enthusiastic cast go a long way to proving you don't need special effects to carry a show.
The Chicago Shakespeare Theater's staging of the "Wizard of Oz" is a delightful adaptation of the classic Frank Baum tale of a young girl's realization that home and family are the most important things in her life.
Cristen Paige is perfect as Dorothy, with a voice eerily reminiscent of Judy Garland. But the real show-stealers were Joey Gyondla, Chris Tuttle and Langstan Martin Smith, who played the apple trees -- picture three gay transvestites imitating trees with an attitude -- Dorothy and the Scarecrow (Simon Lewis) encounter before coming upon the Tin Man (Ed Kross). Bradley Mott's Cowardly Lion is a real sweetheart.
Toto, a/k/a Rudy, a 1-year-old terrier, didn't have much stage time but must be one of the calmest dogs around. He seemed perfectly happy tucked under Paige's arm in his few scenes at the beginning and end of the play.
The production is over-the-top camp: crows heckling the Scarecrow, the trees strutting their stuff, "Jitter Bugs" dancing Dorothy into the Wicked Witch's clutches. Those Funny Little People Enterprises puppetry and animation provided the Munchkins.
So, how does one create a cyclone on stage? With the lights turned down, strips of white cloth attached to sticks waved by dancers clad in black body suits, lanterns with cloth houses and cornstalks for shades and a free-standing window frame.
The production featured a live, nine-piece orchestra, conducted by Shawn Stengel, who also plays keyboards. At times, the music threatened to overpower the singers.
The production was an adaptation of a show developed by Dominic Missimi for the Marriott Theatre in Lincolnshire and staged by director Marc Robin, who choreographed the musical number, "The Jitterbug," a song omitted from the classic 1939 MGM film to shorten it.
The show runs through Aug. 18 as part of the LaSalle Bank Family Festival of Plays. Tickets are $38 for adults and $28 for children under 12.
