Events 

CTORA Theatres: The Wizard of Oz 🦁 

This weekend I was invited to the Opening Night show for CTORA Theatre’s The Wizard of Oz, at the Granville Island Stage in Vancouver. The classic tale of a young girl, her pet dog, and a few friends she meets along the way - is reimagined into a theatrical production, that brings the beloved 1939 film to life. 

It stars Camryn MacDonald as the innocent Dorothy, Preston Wilder takes on the role of TinMan, Jonathan Gagne plays the fearful Lion, while Keith MacMillan charms viewers with his performance as the Scarecrow - but the scene stealing, crowd pleaser was definitely Toto, a real life Carin Terrier who had the audience in the palm of his paw.

As soon as the story shifted from the grey, dull, and dreary Kansas to the colourful Land of Oz, the lead cast was able to unchain the shackles placed on them by their simple minded, small town characters and showcase their versatility as stage performers by exploring the growth each character so desperately desired.

Camryn MacDonald was a perfect casting choice to play Dorothy, taking on the naive yet strong minded character with a graceful innocence, that was matched by Keith MacMillian’s scarecrow, as the two had a wonderful chemistry that helped shape the energy surrounding the leading cast. 

As strong as the leads were it wasn’t enough to offset what I felt was an uninspired set design. They tried their best to make up for it with certain lighting choices, but it didn’t have the impact that was intended. The stage presence of the performers was notable but when you don’t feel lost in what’s meant to be a fantasy world, it ends up making the whole thing feel like a well acted cosplay. 

It also didn’t help that during the intermission (that was extended much longer than expected) the energy in the theatre shifted when a lady was berated for using her phone during the performance. I felt it could’ve been handled better by the staff, especially with an understandably annoyed but obnoxiously over the top crowd, that seemed they were matching the dramatic theatre environment to an exhausting degree.

I’m all for theatre etiquette but to let the situation unfold as it did was a bit much, and took me out of the beginning of the second half of the show. 

That being said - one man’s underwhelming play, may be another man’s treasure. This will be worth the visit for those looking for a family friend outing. 

Enjoy the Show! 🍿 🎥 

Runtime: 2 hours (Including Intermission)

Dates: November 3 - 12, 2023

Venue: Granville Island Stage

Where to buy: m.bpt.me/event/6053698

Note: CTORA Theatre is a not-for-profit organization providing opportunities for emerging artists to perform in professionally staged productions. This allows job opportunities for local theatre artists. 

#Theatre #Performance #Art #WizardofOz #Vancouver #YVR #Movie #MovieReview