Prince Albert’s Broadway North Theatre Company brings a classic film to the E.A. Rawlinson Stage with their upcoming summer musical.
Starting Aug. 15, Broadway North cast members will perform the Wizard of Oz. The story of Young Dorothy Gale and her dog Toto who swept away by a tornado from their Kansas farm to the magical Land of Oz, and embark on a quest with three new friends to see the Wizard, who can return her to her home and fulfill the others’ wishes.
Zoe Mortimer, who is entering Grade 12 at Ecole St. Mary will play Dorothy and Caylee Guidinger will play her arch nemesis the Wicked Witch of the West.
Mortimer said that playing Dorothy has been a fun experience.
“It’s definitely challenging because she’s very active in this show,” she said. “It kind of feels like something that little me would really love because I always loved the Wizard of Oz when I was little, so it’s a very fun, fun time. Nostalgic.”
Guidinger is not stranger to the story. She watched the Wizard of Oz all of the time on VHS with her sisters.
“We knew where all the commercials were and we fast forwarded it,” she remembered. “When I found it was Wizard of Oz I thought ‘oh I need got to try out.”
She said playing the Wicked Witch of the West was more of a bonus after getting the part.
“I just thought it would be so fun to be a mean, evil person, “ she explained.
Mortimer and Guidinger agreed that the story is timeless and has something for everyone.
“It’s just such a classic,” Guidinger said. “It’s got a little bit of everything for everybody. It’s funny, it’s magical. It’s a little scary. It’s got a little bit of everything.”
“Kids love it just because it’s colorful and fun, but it has still good messages for everyone to find,” Mortimer added. “Everyone has their own little beloved character in the show, so I think it’s just really classic.”
This is Mortimer’s first time in the adult Broadway North cast and only Guidinger’s second production.
Guidinger said it’s been a challenging experience, but also rewarding.
“It’s been a real steep learning curve, but everyone’s been so supportive and helpful,” she said. “Just watching it all come together just makes it easier to find that character as everything’s evolving.”
This is Mortimer’s first time auditioning for the adult company. Taking on the role of Dorothy was an unexpected, but welcome, surprise.
“I was like, ‘I’m so excited. I’m going to be in the ensemble with my friends,’” Mortimer remembered. “Then I got (the part of) Dorothy and I was like, ‘oh, I did not expect that at all,’ so (I) didn’t go into it with this idea, but it was a great outcome.”
Jason Van Otterloo is wearing many hats in the production. Along with directing he is also doing design work. He said each of these parts come into conflict as the director part of his brain has occasionally had conflicts with the designer part. Still, he’s enjoying himself.
“It’s been a lot of fun, but this is a huge show,” he said. “There are 21 scenes. There are 17 different locations we go through, the Merry Land of Oz.
“Every one of those scenes takes a little bit of work. Each one of those scenes has to be fully fleshed out backstage and on stage, so there’s a lot that goes into this. This particular script has got lots of that sort of little challenges.”
Van Otterlloo said that the movie is iconic and the direction has to show that, including the transition from black and white to colour.
Both Mortimer and Guidinger have enjoyed working with Van Otterloo.
“He’s fabulous,” Guidinger said. “He’s. quiet. He only speaks when he has to say something. But you know it’s going to be good when he does say something.”
Van Otterloo also is the director for Backstage Productions at Ecole St. Mary so he has a working relationship with Mortimer.
“He is my high school director and I’m still in high school, but this year our show was canceled because of the teacher strikes, so it’s been really nice we’ve had this show to have him as our director,” Mortimer said. “He’s a really great director. He’s very welcoming and makes you feel welcome.”
Van Otterloo sees actors as actors and theatre as theatre when he compares working with the adult cast at Broadway North as opposed to the teenage cast with Backstage Productions.
“You know what the overarching thing is every actor wants to please the audience,” he said. “They want to give their best performance and if they’re a high school kid or if they’re an adult who’s doing this on their spare time, they’re working hard and that is something I always appreciate.”
He said actors no matter what their age, rehearses three times a week and probably look at their scripts seven times.
He said that the adult cast looks forward to coming after working and are coming to rehearse because they love it and appreciate it.
“Maybe they didn’t have it beforehand or it’s something that they look forward to at the end of the day and that’s just been such a joy to work with,” he said.
Van Otterloo likes the story because of the moral lessons it teaches with Dorothy trying to escape what is bad and finding that it was not how she interpreted it.
“It resonates with people,” he said. “They were all there at one point, and then she has to go through Oz to learn that bad things are actually really good. I have a lot of people who love me and care for me and I can’t see the forest because of the trees, so to speak. (There are) lots of trees in this show.”
Van Otterloo hopes that everyone who comes to the performances can be transported to another world for a few hours.
“There’s a story we tell, and yes, there’s some learning that characters do. If that resonates with an audience, great, but if you walk out after the show and you go ‘I feel so entertained, I feel it was wholesome, it was family, it was great,’ that’s what I’m hoping,” Van Otterloo said.
The Wizard of Oz runs Aug. 15 to 24 at 7:30 p.m. with matinees on Aug, 18 and 24 at 1:00 pm.
Ticket prices are adults $40 ($30 for matinee), students/seniors $35 ($25 for matinees) and children 12 and under $17.50 for all shows. The Malcolm Jenkins Family Foundation will donate $10 from every ticket sold to the Ronald McDonald House in Prince Albert.
-with files from Jason Kerr/Daily Herald
