The Yellow Brick Road passes through the Beaumont Community Players theater this month as Dorothy, the Scarecrow, the Tin Man and the Cowardly Lion head to find “The Wizard of Oz.”
The classic musical begins May 10 at the Betty Greenberg Theatre. Director Lindsay Downs said her challenge is to tell a story everybody knows in a way that is interesting and creative.
“Most of it I know better than to mess with, because it’s the ‘Wizard of Oz’ and that is special to people in a very specific way,” she said. “But I have tried to think about a way to tell the story in a unique way.”
Downs said the characters feel like avatars on the internet so digital effects permeate the show.
“Everything’s a little bit digital, where what things look like is what they are — if something’s pretty it means it’s good. If something’s flashy, that means it must be wonderful and spectacular. There’s even a digital yellow brick road.”
“The Wizard of Oz” is a cultural staple, with L. Frank Baum’s original books published in 1900 and the movie musical, starring Judy Garland, released in 1939.
“I think the story is just ambiguous enough that it can apply to us no matter what age we are,” Downs said. “(There’s) the childhood wondering aspect of it and also the adult amazement. I just I think it works. It’s just timeless.”
Jordan Haselden, a sophomore at West Brook High School, plays Dorothy, a role she wanted to play from her first time seeing the film as a child.
“I think it’s a very important story even though it may seem silly or childish,” she said. “I think finding the importance in the people that you already have in your life, and seeing the importance that they hold to you and not going and looking for more when you have what you need, is a very important lesson in general.”
Dorothy is an interesting character, Haselden said, because kids nowadays are different from how they were back then. Dorothy is representative of how times have changed, but the basic themes are still the same.
“I think she learns to be grateful,” Haselden said. “I think that is her biggest lesson, that her life is not the hardest thing in the world. She learned to take those hardships and turn them into hope and turn them into something good and always look for the positive in a situation.”
Zach Belknap plays the Lion, a character he said he identifies with.
“There are times when I put on this bravado that is fake, because I want to feel like I have things under control,” he said. “Sometimes I just have to step back and realize there are things that are beyond my control and to face them with bravery and courage, you know, and not shy away from it.
“There’s a line in the show where he says, ‘There’s a difference between being brave and being wise.’ And I think that’s great. I just want to show that to people that it’s OK to be afraid. It’s OK to be scared, but to have friends that love you and you want to take care of, and you want to be there for. To have people in your life that you want to protect.”
The relationship between the characters is what makes the story so enduring, Belknap said. As one gets older, different themes present themselves.
“There’s a lot of things that you see when you’re a kid and you’re like, ‘Oh, that’s cute,’ and that’s fine, I love it,” Belknap said. “But then when you’re adult, you really get to see some deeper things in there. You can still find some new things and you can relate to different characters at different points in your life. It’s one of those timeless stories that never really goes away and it never really gets old.”
The way the four main characters come together is the central crux of the show, Downs said.
“You can make it say certain things if you want to, but it’s also just a beautiful story, especially the way these people handle their relationships with each other,” she said. “They just care about each other and become like this team that’s going to make it through all of these different obstacles together. It’s just very sweet.”
Downs said the story shows the value of real interactions and relationships to grow.
“They’re doing their own work and not just being validated by some kind of wizard who has a nice Instagram,” she said.
Haselden said she hopes audiences will leave with a smile on their faces.
“I want someone to come to the theater and leave happy, like they just saw something that was amazing,” she said. “When I (first) went and saw a live show, it was almost like I was included with them. I was there with them. And I just want people to take the joy that we put into it and take it home with them.”
Showtimes are 7:30 p.m., May 10, 11, 17, 18, 23, 24, 25, and 2 p.m., May 18. BCP is located at 4155 Laurel Ave. in Beaumont. For tickets, visit beaumontstages.com.
This story first ran in the May 5, 2024 Art of Living section of The Beaumont Enterprise.
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