Review: Barter's 'Wizard of Oz' 'Innovative and Perfect'

By: ROBERT McKINNEY | SPECIAL TO THE HERALD COURIER | TriCities.com
Published: June 11, 2009

Kansas, a huge tornado, witches, Munchkins, the Yellow Brick Road and the entire land of Oz have somehow – magically would be my guess – been squeezed onto the Barter Theatre stage for what promises to be one of this season’s theatrical highlights.
Based very closely upon the beloved MGM movie of 1939, this production has almost everything the movie did plus one number that ended up on MGM’s cutting room floor: “The Jitterbug.”
And, while nobody can ever be a young Judy Garland, Gwen Edwards’ “Dorothy Gale” is certainly right up there with the best of them.
An Emory & Henry graduate, Edwards has a really good voice and acting talent aplenty, although her roles at Barter often seem subdued compared to some of her more flamboyant colleagues. This is her chance to shine, and she does.
As is usually the case at Barter, it is hard to single out specific individuals as turning in better performances than others because they are all so good and, true to Bob Porterfield’s vision, there are no “stars” at Barter, just a solid core of hardworking actors working at the tops of their games.
Amy Baldwin is especially good as Scarecrow, however, but Rick McVey (Cowardly Lion) and Mike Ostroski (Tin Man) are not far behind.
Hannah Ingram (Auntie Em/Good Witch), Michael Poisson (Uncle Henry, Guard of Emerald City), Eugene Wolf (Professor Marvel/Wizard of Oz) and Tricia Matthews (Miss Gultch/Wicked Witch of the West) also shine, as does the large contingent of Munchkins, crows, trees, Winkies, monkeys (flying and otherwise) and a host of others. I especially enjoyed the crows.
If there is one single star, it is, of course, Toto, played by Toto Harkins, a real and quite wonderful little dog who really doesn’t actually bite mean old Miss Gultch – although she has every right to in my book.
Young actors in this production include Eva Alom, Aria Binkley, Logan Fritz, Ashley Harkins, Annalee Hunter, Morgan Merrill, Anita Ostrovsky and Matthew Torbett.
The sets, costumes, choreography, music, lighting, sound and all the rest are innovative and perfect. Rick Rose directs.
There’s no need to describe the storyline, and “The Wizard of Oz” has been dissected and psychoanalyzed since first published in 1900 so there’s no need for me (or anybody else) to take another whack at it just to try to prove how wonderfully wise and wizardly we are.
Suffice it to say that folks of all ages from the littlest ones to great-granny will find plenty to enjoy and by which to be fascinated.
You probably ought to be warned, though, that some of the scenes are a bit loud and intense with flashes of fire and other pyrotechnics, so hold on tight to your kids so you don’t get scared …
Please also note that no witches were actually killed or harmed in this production.
n The show runs through Aug. 9. For dates, times and reservations, call (276) 628-3991 or visit www.bartertheatre.com.

Review: Barter's 'Wizard of Oz' 'Innovative and Perfect'

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