Theatre Review: Seymour High School's 'The Wizard of Oz'

Pictured: Eliana Arroyo as Glinda and Abigail Andrade as Dorothy surrounded by Munchkins of two sizes in Seymour High School's 'The Wizard of Oz' Photo courtesy of Brandt Schneider

“Pay no attention to that woman behind the curtain…”

Seymour, CT - I have been reviewing productions at Seymour High School by invitation for a few years. In 2016, I caught a performance of ‘The Theory of Relativity’ so I knew as soon as I pulled into the parking lot that this year’s production of ‘The Wizard of Oz’ was going to be “relatively” bigger than what I had seen in the past. There was not a parking space to be had near the entrance to the auditorium as “relatives” of the very large cast members rushed to get a seat before the curtain was raised.

The reason for this increased attendance soon became clear and it was the best part of the 2018 production. The inclusion of 45 members of the class of ‘30 (duly noted in the program) into this beloved musical was inspired and a joy to watch.

These adorable members of the Kinder Chorus are kindergarten students at Bungay Elementary School in Seymour and worked side by side with their high school counterparts in a multitude of chorus scenes. Usually the littlest actors appear as Munchkins at the top of the first act and head backstage for a nap until curtain call, but not here. Director Brandt Schneider worked hard to give them tons of stage time, so in addition to perfectly sized Munchkins, there were mini poppies and mini snowflakes, mini Ozians, mini flying monkeys, and even mini Winkie guards “Oh-e-oh-ing” with their taller counterparts. The audience came to understand why the director begged us to keep the intermission to ten minutes so that the kinders wouldn’t fall asleep before the final curtain of the two and a half hour performance.

Mr. Schneider noted that the cast was made up of 87 people and he graciously thanked all of the staff members who worked with them, most especially the kindergarten teachers Stefanie Slie, Joanne Dunne, Nicole Yustin, June Tema, and Gina Kindt. He ventured that almost 75% of them were appearing in their first production ever; it was a safe bet for the entire Kinder chorus was getting their first theatrical credit at a very young age. The director’s mom was in the audience, just as she had been 45 years ago when he had been in his first production.

So there was much to love about this production of the Seymour HS production of the classic story by L. Frank Baum with music and lyrics by Harold Arlen and E.Y. Harburg with background music by Herbert Stothart that was adapted by John Kane for the Royal Shakespeare Company. Everything from the beloved Warner Brothers motion picture is here, as well as some scenes that didn’t make the cut, like ‘The Jitterbug’ dance that I always enjoy.

The advisors to the Seymour HS program are Mr. Schneider, Stephanie Ciccone and Darlene Keeffe and the technical director was SHS junior Rachel Moon. The fun choreography was invented by junior Taylor Dauphinais with Emily Spear as her advisor and the art directors were seniors Stephanie Perez and Anna Peel. The extremely technicolored costumes (organized by Tyler Kinnie ‘21 with some student helpers) lit up the stage and the sets in eye-popping colors brought us to the iconic settings; my favorite was the background for the city of Oz.

Senior Abigail Andrade (‘The Theory of Relativity’) took on the big role of Dorothy Gale and sang well. She wore the classic gingham jumper that changed from sepia and white to blue and white, but the ruby sneakers she wore that became the logo for this production were a notable twist. Eliana Arroyo, a junior, doubled as Aunt Em and Glinda the Good Witch of the North. Junior Zach Oliwa played Dorothy’s Uncle Henry and Bella Torri, a senior who was also in ‘Relativity,’ doubled as the awful Miss Gulch and the Wicked Witch of the West.

Perfectly cast in the roles of Professor Chelsea Marvel and the Wizard of Oz was junior Rachel Moon; this young woman had fabulous stage presence and owned both roles. Fun to watch was Aidan Loock ‘20 at the snarky city of Oz guard in his signature green.

Michael Starkey, now a sophomore at SHS who also appeared in ‘Relativity,’ was outstanding in the role of farmhand Hunk and the loveable scarecrow. Junior Sophia Fioretti (‘Relativity’) doubled as Hickory and the silver Tin Woodsman; this young lady brought the moves of a dancer to the role. Phil Fioretti, another sophomore actor who appeared in ‘Relativity,’ just about stole the show in the role of Zeke and the bigger-than-life Cowardly Lion. Fine comic timing and good singing made him an audience favorite.

The sixteen underclass students in the high school chorus doubled as busy ensemble characters and kindergarten student wranglers; each and every one did admirable work with both roles. Props to Head Munchkin SHS senior Kristi Loffredo. Shout outs to Ms. Loffredo as the Munchkin mayor and Winkie general, Arber Muca ‘20 as the coroner, Megan Dilley ‘18 as the barrister, and Lawrence Taylor ‘19 as Nikko. Super special were the crows played by Zach Oliwa ‘19, Engelbert Andrade ‘20 and Arber Muca ‘20. Just as good were Sabrina Vega ‘18, Isabella Andrade ‘20, and Ariana Wheeler ‘19 as the apple trees with an attitude.

Kudos to the over twenty faculty members who are volunteering their time to make this production happen. Remaining performances are March 17 at 7pm and March 18 at 2pm. Admission cost is $15 for adults and $10 for students/seniors. This play is suitable for all ages and will be in two acts with an intermission. Remaining tickets can be purchased here.

Nancy Sasso Janis has been writing theatre reviews since 2012 as a way to support local theatre venues and she posts reviews of well over 100 productions each year. In 2016, she became a member of the Connecticut Critics Circle. She continues to contribute theatre news, previews, and audition notices to local Patch sites. Reviews of all levels of theatrical productions are posted on Naugatuck Patch and the Patch sites closest to the venue. Follow the reviewer on her Facebook pages Nancy Sasso Janis: Theatre Reviewer and Connecticut Theater Previews and on Twitter @nancysjanis417