The Wizard of Oz

To adapt a movie as beloved and well-known as The Wizard of Oz to the stage is no small challenge. It has, in its 66 years of cinematic life, become a cultural icon on par with parades, bake sales, and the illusory memory of "the good old days," when all was right with America. We know the lyrics to all the songs, and have high standards for the terrifying tornado, the wicked witch, and the imperious Oz. The characters personify our deep-seated worldview of home, courage, heart, brains, and good versus evil, just like a Norman Rockwell cover for The Saturday Evening Post.

John Scott Slough as the Tin Man, A.K. Klimpke as the Lion, Emily Van Fleet as Dorothy, Scott Beyette as the Scarecrow, Brian Norber as the Gate Keeper, and Lyric as Toto

If there's a local theatre up to these expectations, Boulder's Dinner Theatre is certainly it, with its depth of talent and crafts people, and comfortable setting for special family occasions. And this production comes through with flying colors, from the earthy, sepia tones of Kansas to the glimmering yellow brick road that leads to dazzling Emerald City, unfolding its palette just like the intercut 1939 picture, which literally formed the bridge from black and white film to Technicolor.

John Scott Slough as the Tin Man, Emily Van Fleet as Dorothy and Wayne Kennedy as Professor Marvel

Beginning with company newcomer Emily Van Fleet, as Dorothy, the production is near picture perfect. As soon as Van Fleet begins to speak we are overcome by her uncanny imitation of young Judy Garland's unmistakable "Golly, gee!" charm, soothing tonal modulations, and archetypal looks of wonder and consternation, as she begins to deal with life's hardships in the form of Miss Gulch.

Van Fleet handles the vocals, including the signature "Over the Rainbow," with ease and heartfelt idealism, in a clear soprano, shaded brighter than the warm, throaty timbre of Garland's version. Her personality, too, never fails to hit the right note, from the joys of her newfound friendships to the disappointments she faces in the process of finding her way home.

Scott Beyette as the Scarecrow, John Scott Clough as the Tin Man, and Emily Van Fleet as Dorothy

And the characters she meets along the way! She is astonished by the scarecrow who talks, but he assures her that "Lot's of people with no brains do a lot of talkin'." Here, Scott Beyette, with a limber soft shoe and collapsible frame, breathes life into the hapless straw man, upon whom the crows irreverently roost with impunity.

The hollow Tin Man comes alive with clever sound effects and a slick tap dance by John Scott Clough, and A.K. Klimpke, in a dead-on Bert Lahr send-up, blubbers, bluffs, and blossoms as the ebullient Cowardly Lion.

Scott Beyette as the Scarecrow, Emily Van Fleet as Dorothy, Lyric as Toto, John Scott Clough as the Tin Man, and A.K. Klimpke as the Lion

Cackling with delight, Barb Reeves Kuepper sends shivers up our backs as the green-skinned sorceress, the Wicked Witch of the West. Wayne Kennedy warms us as the bumbling, kind-hearted con artist, Professor Marvel, and gives us pause as his alter-ego, the bombastic but clever Wizard. Alicia Dunfee is resplendent as the glittering Glinda and comforting as the kindly Auntie Em.

Broadway-savvy directors Mark Chmiel and Michael J. Duran have added a splashy production number that was cut from movie, enlisting Boulder-based aerialist Nancy Smith of Frequent Flyers Productions to choreograph the bungee-tethered Jitterbugs and Monkeys.

They also commissioned puppet masters Cory Gilstrap and Armando Guerra, whose work astonished in Curious Theatre Company's The Long Christmas Ride Home this past winter, to come up with the most loveable crows since Heckle and Jeckle. Melissa Shrank's sets, in particular the eye-popping Munchkinland, and Linda Morken's costumes, most notably the scary Monkeys, are delightful recreations of the silver-screen prototypes.

The children's singing and dancing, as the Munchkins, is polished and cheek-pinching cute. Even Lyric, the Cairn terrier who plays Toto, hits every cue. (W.C. Fields, where are you?)

The staging of the tornado—with the house cleverly hinged to swing eccentrically from the turntable, accented by spiraling curtains and streamers spun by twirling dancers, and accompanied by Wayne Kennedy's hair-raising sound effects and Cletus Karamon's moody lighting—is a frighteningly beautiful scene.

Neil Dunfee's seven-piece orchestra does scintillating work with Harold Arlen's score. And yes, those famous ruby slippers still respond to three clicks of the heels and the mantra, "There's no place like home!"

Boulder's Dinner Theatre's production of The Wizard of Oz runs through October 1st. 303-449-6000.

Bob Bows