SALT LAKE CITY — The Grand Theatre will be taking audiences off to see the Wizard, the wonderful “Wizard of Oz.”The MGM classic of L. Frank Baum’s tale starring Judy Garland is a pop-culture iceberg. “There’s no place like home,” “I’ll get you, my pretty,” “Lions and tigers and bears! Oh, my!” — who hasn’t used a quote from the much-loved family film? And each of the Harold Arlen-E.Y. Harburg songs is included in the American songbook of treasured standards, with “Over the Rainbow” topping the American Film Institute’s list of best cinema songs.
But successful translating of the film to the stage has proved tricky.
“For community-level theaters, it’s a hard show to pull off,” said director Porter Williams. “There’s a lot of costumes, and there’s some technical effects that are really daunting. Trying to work around them without making them feel underwhelming is really difficult. We’ve struggled with that, but I think we’ve come out on the good side.”
His confidence is a result of working closely with the show’s creative and technical team, devising some innovative solutions to the inherent challenges and a recognition that if they “tried to recreate the movie aesthetically, we would fail.
“Respecting the icons of the show without being slaves to them has been the balance throughout the production process,” Williams said. “When people come see the show, it’s going to be instantly recognizable but it’s going to feel very different. The heart of the show is the same, but visually the show is quite different. I just got to see the head of Oz yesterday for the first time, and it’s really cool. We’ve also done some really innovative work with projections, and for Salt Lake it’s pretty groundbreaking.”
Beyond the pyrotechnics, multiple sets and costumes, and the indelible imagery from the 1939 Oscar-winner, what has been Williams' biggest challenge?
“Toto," he said with a laugh. "Getting her to run to Dorothy predictably. The first time Toto did it on stage there was a huge cheer from the cast. It involved a lot of treats and a lot of practice.”
The 30-member cast includes 12 child actors and local favorite Max Robinson playing the Wizard.
“As a young director who grew up seeing nearly every Max Robinson performance at Pioneer Theatre, it was overwhelming to consider directing him,” Williams said. “But he has been great to work with and he makes an excellent Wizard.”
After the opening of “Wizard of Oz,” it will be decided if Williams receives Cowardly Lion’s badge of courage — or if his goal should have been the award given by the wizard to Scarecrow.
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