Shakespeare troupe’s trip to ‘Oz’ always pleasing to the eye

Even though there's considerable talent onstage, you may find it difficult to keep your eyes off the audience at Las Vegas Shakespeare Company's "The Wizard of Oz."

On opening night, Henderson Pavilion was packed with children clapping in rhythm, moving to the music and asking parents for plot clarifications. They, like this adult, were riveted.

Director Dan Decker hasn't so much adapted the revered 1939 film as he (along with screenplay writer John Kane) has duplicated it. The Harold Arlen/E.Y. Harburg songs are there, as well as all the familiar characters.

When the lonely Dorothy is in Kansas, the stage looks drab. But once a twister takes her to "the lovely land of Oz," costume manager JC Brando makes sure the characters' clothing is bathed in rich, varied color. The show is always pleasing to the eye.

Decker keeps the tone light. He never hits us over the head with morals. He's more interested in our having fun. And that's easy to do when the cast's talent is so consistently high-caliber.

Among the many performers worthy of applause: Cory Coble as a sweet, boy-next-door Scarecrow; Darren Weller as a likable Tin Man; Ben Loewy as a hearty but overly sensitive Lion; Brando as the drippily elegant good witch Glinda; union actress Ellen Lawson as the very green and nasty Wicked Witch; and Paul Besterman as the double-dealing Wiz. Even minor roles are handled with aplomb.

As Dorothy, Carly Richardson has a powerful singing instrument and knows how to take command. But she doesn't seem to relate to the role. When she sings "Over the Rainbow," there's no sense of yearning. She lacks vulnerability.

And Decker's placed a big screen upstage and substituted images for special effects. The Wicked Witch makes her initial entrance by just walking onto the performance area; when she melts, she just walks off. We don't see Dorothy get knocked out by the twister, so that children who don't know the story may be baffled.

Decker proves he knows a thing or two about exquisite screen imagery, but, much as I enjoyed the show, I kept wishing he'd given the stage equal time.

Anthony Del Valle can be reached at vegastheaterchat @aol.com. You can write him c/o Las Vegas Review-Journal, P.O. Box 70, Las Vegas, NV 89125.