Going Back to Oz with P45

Nov. 9, 2014

In 1978’s The Wiz, Diana Ross was Dorothy Gale, Michael Jackson was the Scarecrow, and a snowstorm swept Gale out of her Harlem, NY apartment.

In the 2007 TV series Tin Man, bigeyed Zooey Deschanel turned Dorothy into "D.G." and Oz became "The Outer Zone" in a more surrealistic, dark approach to the story.

In the stage musical Wicked, the focus has been twisted around to the Wicked Witch of the West, Elphaba, and her good sister, Glinda.

And now, a new Parallel 45 version of The Wizard of Oz is coming to Traverse City to take Dorothy and her friends down yet another road in The Oz Project.

DYNAMIC SCENE

Parallel 45, a local theater company founded five years ago by Interlochen alumnae Kit McKay and Erin Anderson, was created to produce innovative new works and reimagined classics to both entertain and encourage critical thought.

"The best way to describe who and what we are is that we typically tell stories our audience knows, but we tell them in new ways," Anderson explained. "We see them through new lenses, and turn them on their heads a bit - we call them "˜familiar stories for the ad venturous mind.’" This non-profit company brings nationally-recognized artists to the region, in an ongoing bid to further build a dynamic theater culture in northern Michigan.

"With the burgeoning arts scene here in the community, it seemed the right time to introduce another artistic voice," Anderson said.

Now in the middle of their fifth season, P45 will present a lightning-paced, three-person version of Cyrano in April 2015 - but first, there’s this trek back to Oz, for which they’ve brought in fellow founding member Justin Perez, an actor/writer/director based in New York City.

ORIGINAL SPOTLIGHT 

Perez has collaborated on P45 productions of Shakespeare’s R+J and Our Town, among others. The Oz Project is a completely original script co-written by Perez and Kristina Corcoran Williams.

For this new version - a "jukebox musical" that adds in modern pop, rock and musical theater songs - the spotlight is focused on Dorothy, but with a twist that’s more than just that tornado.

"The angle is the question of whether or not this entire story is just a dream of hers, or an actual adventure to a magical land," Perez said. "We are interested in finding new ways to mark and understand her transformation after the tornado, almost as a coming-of-age tale."

The November production of The Oz Project in Traverse City will be its world premiere, with Perez, cast and crew all taking care with these well-known icons of popular culture.

"The four friends are tricky," he admitted. "They’re so lovable, we didn’t want to change their relationship to Dorothy too much, but rather to offer them new opportunities to give their characters dimension."

TRANSFORMATIVE TREK

Translating this version of Dorothy will be New York actress Samantha Smart, who will hit the new yellow brick road with the Tin Man (played by Joseph Shoup), the Scarecrow (David Dennison), the Lion (Andy Betka), and The Wizard (Ben Whiting).

Traverse City West Senior High School graduate (now actress) Virginia Rupert will portray both Glinda and the Wicked Witch of the West.

And the whole cast will be supported by music director Joanna Li from North Carolina, New York-based scenic designer Laura Greenfield, Traverse City-based projectionist Brittany Merenda, and Chicago lighting designer Brian Elston.

"We have incredible scenic and lighting design happening right now that will transform the theatre at the InsideOut Gallery into a completely different world," Perez said. "As well as some truly remarkable projection design that will make the experience of being in Oz pop for our audience."

But the visuals are just a framework, Perez emphasized - the real focus is on the actors and the new take on a classic story.

"Expect to see and hear beautiful things as you get reacquainted with your favorite characters," Perez said.

The Oz Project will run November 19-22 at the InsideOut Gallery in Traverse City. For tix and more info, visit www.parallel45.org or call 1-800-836-0717.