by Nicolette Manzi
Woburn High has put on yet
another great musical this past weekend. Every spring the drama department at
Woburn High works around the clock to put on a musical that will dazzle the
audience. With the past two musicals being the Sound of Music and Annie,
the directors decided to step out of their comfort zone and put on a musical
filled with mystery and adventure. With Friday night nearly selling out and
Saturday’s matinee being filled with little kids, the Wizard of Oz was without a doubt a success.
One
aspect of this year’s musical that was unique to year’s past was the evident
use of special effects and detailed costumes. In order to portray the evil
character of the wicked witch, a green light was flashed across the stage to
illustrate her entrance. Strobe lights were even used in the haunted forest to
highlight the disorientated state of the main characters. Even the twister was
filled with loud music and of course the shaking of the house. The costumes of
the main characters were also more detailed than years past, which was seen
through the Lion’s flowing mane and the Tin Man’s painted face. Senior Dylan
Scott has attended the musical for the past few years and agrees that this
year’s performance was filled with much more effects and details than previous
musicals.
“I
think this year the musical has a lot more special effects and sound effects
that really added to the overall performance, from the different color lights
to the snow. I also thought all of the costumes this year were really great
too,” said Scott.
This
year’s production of the Wizard of Oz
was also distinctive in the large cast involved and the different characters
portrayed throughout the show. Going from the Dorothy’s home town of Kansas to
the mysterious Munchkinland, to the joyous Land of Oz; the audience was truly
taken on a journey. Through each scene the audience was met with a different
character along the way as the four main characters made their way to Oz. One
audience member, Ally Young, agreed that her favorite part of the musical was
getting to meet all the different characters as they make their way to Oz.
“My
favorite part of the musical was the journey down the yellow brick road when
Dorothy meets the scarecrow, the Tin Man and the Lion,” said Young.
The
behind the scenes, the musical was filled with learning how to accomplish many
special effects and making detailed props for each scene. From the ruby red
slippers to the snow in the poppy field, the cast worked non-stop to make sure
everything was perfect. The countless dance practices with the jitterbugs to
even training Toto, had the cast always working hard. Adrianna Manzi, who
played the character of Dorothy comments on the challenging nature of this
musical that made it much different then year’s past.
“This year’s musical
was more challenging than years past because there were fewer musical numbers
and more dialogue. The cast had to memorize so many lines while dealing with
all the special effects happening on the stage, which made this musical
difficult,” said Manzi
The
cast of the Wizard of Oz were extremely proud of their performance and what
they got to accomplish in this year’s production. Music director, Brain
Gilberite comments on the cast phenomenal job on this year’s musical and his
hopes for future.
As
the cast has now put all their costumes away and will no longer be slaves to
the wicked witch or a munchkin in the Land of Oz, the cast soon gets ready to
begin their preparation for next year’s musical. With the bar set high for next
year, the option for this next year is endless. So get ready for next year
musical and be ready to for the drama department to awe you again. But in the
meantime if you every get lost, just remember to follow the yellow brick road
and know their truly is no place like home.
No comments:
Post a Comment