This is directed more toward my friends than Everybody in General, because for once the theater I'm working with is selling out five weeks before we open, so I don't have to go begging for ticket sales. If you do want to see The Wizard of Oz, however, go to Wheaton Drama NOW and order tickets. The cool thing is that you can now Select Your Seats online, and you can see which seats are already taken. We open November 17. All show information is available at the above link.
So -- friends: this is not a cheap-ass rinkidink adaptation of a public domain book. It's based firmly on the movie and contains all of the movie's songs (including The Jitterbug, which was cut from the film before it opened). I get to continue my Bert Lahr year, having spent the early part of 2006 directing Waiting for Godot, in which Lahr got the greatest reviews of his career. I've also played other Lahr roles, such as Hucklebee in The Fantasticks and Moonface in Anything Goes. He's catching up to the number of Jack Gilford parts I've played.
Unless I'm drunk at a theater party (and I don't drink that much anymore), this is probably the only time you're going to hear me perform If I Were King of the Forest. AND Bill & Jen are making me dance wildly in a costume with big furry feet, so there's an aspect of "Will he or won't he die in front of us?" to the whole thing. And how many shows am I ever involved with that you can bring your kids to?
I get to act with Jack Smith again (after The House of Blue Leaves, The Philadelphia and Dead on Nine). Jack is playing the Tin Woodman. There are plenty of new faces and some old friends - the cast size is 47. This is going to be a great show. But if you want to see it, you probably need to order tickets now: Wheaton Drama Website.
To check out what I might look like in the part, go here: Craig's Theater List.
