‘The Wizard of Oz’ always had a sense of… well, comfort as it was my mom’s favorite movie. I don’t think anything will remind me of her more than Dorothy and her friends. It’s impossible to hear “Somewhere Over the Rainbow” and not think of her.
Before the streaming and movie rentals era, watching ‘The Wizard of Oz’ was an event. Once a year it was broadcast and we watched it every time. I think it was the only time my mom watched anything with my siblings and I. Because of that, it was clear that this movie was Important, with a capital I.
Dorothy returning home at the end (spoiler for a movie that came out in 1939 which was based on a book that was published in 1900) is a full circle moment and has a sense of finality. This ending makes it even more appropriate that it was the last play of the 2025/2026 season for the Children’s Theatre Company.
Since the movie was such an integral part of my childhood, the story, the dialogue, the voices, the EVERYTHING has been ingrained in my heart. I was curious to see how the play would, ah, play out. I was curious to see if it would be as scary as it was when I was younger. The magic of CTC is that the actors believe in what they do and their performances are sincere and they have a reverence for the source material. The actors and the stage design and the music did not hold back.
Simply put, I was delighted. I was eight years old again.
Two girls play the role of Dorothy for this run and Friday’s opening night was blessed by the charm and talent of Aniya Bostick who made her CTC with this show. What a voice, what spirit.
The transition from the dusty farmland to the color filled world of Oz was seamless. Glinda and the Witch join the story with an appropriate amount of magic and mayhem. On a side note, as someone who loves sparkly shoes, I can relate to the Wicked Witch a tiny bit.
I mentioned how the voices of these characters are woven into my heart and the cackle, the menace of Becca Claire Hart’s Wicked Witch was perfect.
The story is briskly told and soon Dorothy is on her way to Oz, but not before she is joined by her new friends.
After seeing every performance at CTC for the last three years, I have come to recognize some of the actors who return for different shows. For ‘Wizard of Oz’, I was delighted to see Dean Holt and Reed Sigmund as the Scarecrow and the Lion respectively. Sigmund also has played ‘The Grinch’ and my god, what an actor. He just nails the Lion in spirit and in energy. Just… perfect.
The magic of CTC is never confined to the stage. There’s magic in the audience as kids experience the show. They react, they laugh, they dress up in costumes. As someone who grew up with this movie, it’s really special knowing that this story and its impact on kids still lives on today.
What else is there to say besides you should be off to see the Wizard before it closes on June 14th? Just follow the Yellow Brick Road and make a turn on Third Avenue South.
Thank you to CTC for a wonderful night and for an enchanting and inspiring season.
Love, Hannah
Hannah McKnight 