Foothill Intermediate journeys to 'Oz'

Some stage adaptations stray far from their source material while others offer faithful adaptations.

Foothill Intermediate School's production of "The Wizard of Oz" is a faithful adaptation — of the 1939 film starring Judy Garland, not the L. Frank Baum book.

"It's the screenplay adapted for the stage," said the play's director, Mari Reeves. "Everyone will be familiar with it."

"The Wizard of Oz" is the story of Dorothy Gale (Paige Rogers). She lives with her Auntie Em (Emily Bailey) and her Uncle Henry (Ian Hicks) on a Kansas farm. But she longs to escape to some place "over the rainbow," as she sings.

A twister touches down and Dorothy gets her wish, being whisked away to the magical land of Oz along with her dog, Toto (Carissa Ellyson). The only way home is to follow the yellow brick road to meet the Wizard (Ben Whitlock), who lives in Emerald City.

Glinda the Good Witch of the North (Sarah Page and Shania Beets) gives Dorothy a pair of ruby red slippers to wear along the way to Oz. While on her journey, Dorothy encounters the Scarecrow (Gavin Battista and Devin Middlebrook), the Tin Man (Anthony Orozco) and the Cowardly Lion (Aaron Bernardis).

The Wicked Witch of the West (Sophie Phillips and Charleigh Caldwell), meanwhile, vows to take revenge on Dorothy for killing her sister, the Wicked Witch of the East, when Dorothy's house landed on her.

"Dorothy learns that there's no place like home. It's similar to our town," Reeves said. "(She) realizes that she's been looking outside of what she has, but she should be looking at what she does have. She's wishing for something over the rainbow, but everything she wanted was at home."

This production of "Oz" is the third for Reeves. "I decided to do it because I love it and because we had the right actors for it," she said. "We have some really talented seventh- and eighth-graders who really pull it off.

"It's nice to see kids expressing themselves on stage and doing famous roles," Reeves said. "It's something they remember all their lives, and it's good for them to touch these great pieces. It's also good to see (these stories) again and remember why they're great."

CONTACT Josh Kendrix at 749-4775 or jkendrix@appealdemocrat.com.