Jeri Tidwell Photography
Unless you’re of the age of 5 or younger, you are almost certainly familiar with the classic 1939 motion picture musical, The Wizard of Oz, which has been a television staple for decades, and has appeared on various home video formats from VHS to 4K Blu-ray. If you have kids, or just love the movie itself, you most likely have a copy of it in your library and you certainly know all the characters and songs and music in the movie. Of course the classic L. Frank Baum story has been reinterpreted in various ways, most notably in the Broadway (and film) musical, The Wiz, and the story got it’s own prequel by Gregory Maguire, Wicked, which of course also became a Broadway and movie musical. But did you know there were stage versions of Baum’s 1900 novel The Wonderful Wizard of Oz as far back as 1902? A 1942 musical production even featured Margaret Hamilton reprising her film role as The Wicked Witch of the West, and used songs from the movie. But it was the Royal Shakespeare Company that actually adapted the film’s screenplay and incorporated the movie’s songs and score into a 1987 production that closely recreated the movie, became a success, and had revivals and a U.S. tour that ran from 2008 to 2020! Now this version of The Wizard of Oz is taking the stage at Toby’s Dinner Theatre in Columbia, Maryland, and it bring the movie vibrantly to life.
You know the story — young Dorothy Gale gets into a situation with mean, old Elvira Gulch after Dorothy’s dog Toto chased her cat and then bit the old lady in the leg … allegedly … so Miss Gulch files a police report and gets an order allowing her to take the dog, well, over the Rainbow (Bridge). But the dog escapes, returns home and Dorothy takes all of Auntie Em’s freshly baked cookies and runs away because she feels no one — not her family or the farm hands — would stand up for her or the dog. She meets carnival psychic Professor Marvel, who is more of a psychologist because he can tell that Dorothy has just flown off the handle, and he conjures up a story that Aunt Em has fallen ill from distress so Dorothy will return home. And there is a twister coming. Dorothy gets home a little too late and everyone else is in the storm cellar, but the girl, the dog, Miss Gulch and the house are all swept away to a magical, colorful land known as Oz. Unfortunately, when the house lands in Munchkinland, it parks itself atop of the Wicked Witch of the East, setting off a series of events as Dorothy must travel down the Yellow Brick Road, meeting new and unusual friends (and enemies) along the way, to meet the Wizard of Oz in person so he can use his powers to get her home. He agrees, but there is a catch — she and her friends must bring him the broomstick of the Wicked Witch of the West. And pretty much the only way they can do that is … well … a little morally questionable (unlike The Wiz, Dorothy isn’t actually ordered to kill anyone, but that Witch isn’t gonna give up her broom willingly). Of course, the Wicked Witch gets the upper hand, and it’s up to her brain-less, heart-less, courage-less friends to save the day because the Witch wants her late sister’s ruby slippers that are stuck firmly on Dorothy’s feet, and the only way she can get them is over Dorothy’s dead body. One of them’s gotta go, but this is a family show so you know the little girl isn’t going to become a ghost. Of course I’m just having some fun with the classic and familiar plot, but when you think about it that is some dark material for a kids’ story.
Jeri Tidwell Photography
I honestly had no idea that there was a stage version of The Wizard of Oz that was actually based on the movie. MGM/Warner Bros. holds a very tight grip on everything Oz-related, holding copyrights on everything from those ruby slippers (silver in the original novel but changed to ruby red to take advantage of the relatively new Technicolor process in 1939), to the pattern and color of Dorothy’s gingham dress, and the length and style of her pigtails. So when the show began and the house orchestra played that familiar fanfare from the movie and the actors took to the stage reciting actual dialogue from the film, I was surprised and happy that this would have a familiar feel to it. Of course, there is also some worry that an adaptation of a movie you know and love will have too many changes or tweaks to the plot so that it feels like a betrayal. In this case, the book for the show by John Kane, and the production staged by Director and Choreographer Mark Minnick is familiar and comfortable, it’s something you’ve known and loved in two dimensions on a television or movie screen (unless you also saw the 3D version) now occupying a three-dimensional space right before your eyes. The dialogue is almost word-for-word from the movie, there are a few bits here and there that are different but not egregiously so (the Lion King Easter egg was pretty funny), and the scenes and set-pieces feel like they were taken off the screen and put on the stage. The opening scene has a nice sepia-toned essence, the twister is depicted in much the same way as in The Wiz, with members of the ensemble in flowing costumes, swirling around the stage and picking up pieces of the set as if the wind were carrying them away, and once Dorothy arrives in Oz, the stage just bursts with color. Minnick has done a wonderful job of interpreting the movie images we know into something tangible that are familiar but not derivative. And if you’re wondering, yes, there are Munchkins, and Minnick has come up with a really creative way to bring them to life using his ensemble cast. Minnick has also choreographed the show, retaining the familiar hop-step dance as Dorothy and her friends travel down the Yellow Brick Road, while giving Scarecrow, Tinman and the Cowardly Lion their own bits of original choreo that don’t attempt to mimic the dances in the movie too much. The Munchkins get their own amusing choreography as well, but one place the show differs from the movie is the inclusion of the infamous ‘Jitterbug’ musical number that was filmed at a cost of $80,000 ($2 million in today money!), and cut from the movie because while there was a dance craze called ‘The Jitterbug’ at the time of the movie’s production, producers feared its inclusion in the film would instantly date the movie once the fad passed, and they also felt it detracted from the rest of the movie’s fantasy feel (there was also a concern that the lyrics may have been referencing alcoholism). It’s very interesting to have this scene included in the stage production, and while it is fun and the ensemble gets to really play around with their choreography — the point of the jitterbugs was to tire Dorothy, Scarecrow, Tinman and Cowardly Lion by forcing them to dance continuously so they could easily be retrieved by the Flying Monkeys, who do swoop in and take Dorothy and Toto to the Wicked Witch (it’s actually a pretty intense moment that may be a little scary for younger audience members) — the song itself is a little goofy and really doesn’t seem to fit with the rest of the familiar songs. It still doesn’t detract from the show, but it does act as a cute little footnote to the movie, making the show a sort of ‘director’s cut’, but in real life.
Aside from ‘The Jitterbug’, all of the movie’s familiar songs, by Harold Arlen and E.Y. Harburg, are in the show along with the very familiar musical underscore by Herbert Stothart, expertly played by the Toby’s orchestra. Make no mistake, the music is performed live, but it sounds so much like the film’s score you would swear it was taken directly from a recording. The Sound Design by Mark Smedley adds to the show, particularly during the twister, and Lynn Joslin’s Lighting Design uses different colors for different scenes, like green lighting for the Emerald City scenes, and has come up with a simple but clever way to depict Glinda’s pink bubble. There are also some projections employed on the walls, including the twister and the Witch’s ‘Surrender Dorothy’ skywriting trick, that add to the experience of seeing the show live. Shane Lowry has done another terrific job with the Scenic and Properties Design, notably Glinda’s scepter and the fearsome representation of the Wizard Dorothy and Company first encounter. Jayson Kueberth has done a nice job with the numerous wigs seen throughout the show, with many of the cast donning several throughout the story, and the make-up (perhaps applied by the actors themselves as there is no credited make-up artist) is also done quite well, from Glinda’s beauty make-up to the Wicked Witch’s green visage, to Dorothy’s friends (who also have to quickly remove their looks when they appear again as the farmhands when Dorothy returns to Kansas). The ensemble is also put through their paces going from Munchkins to poppies to apple trees to jitterbugs to Winkie guards, all involving some make-up, wig and costume change. Speaking of the costumes, this may be one of the most costume-intensive shows I’ve seen at Toby’s, and they are truly remarkable. Janine Sunday and Sarah King have done a fantastic job coordinating the costumes, which may have appeared in other productions of this show as photos seen online while doing some research look identical to the costumes at Toby’s. Regardless of their origins, they add so much to the feel and look of the show. On the technical side of things, Mark Minnick and his talented crew have just knocked this one out of the park.
Jeri Tidwell Photography
The cast is also wonderful. Emily Signor, so memorable as Liesl in Toby’s The Sound of Music, makes for a lovely Dorothy, sweet and innocent, with a wonderful voice, taking on the iconic ‘Over the Rainbow’ and making it her own without trying to imitate Judy Garland, though she still channels Garland in her performance, both playing a character a bit younger than their actual years, but doing it convincingly. Signor gives her Dorothy that innocence and gumption she needs to make the journey, becoming convincingly emotional when she’s worried about Auntie Em or Toto, and even puts herself in harm’s way to protect her new friends. She is just wonderful. David James plays the dual roles of Hunk and Scarecrow, nicely telegraphing Scarecrow’s apparent dim-wittedness as the farmhand (even while he shows the Scarecrow often isn’t as brainless as he believes he is), giving a marvelously loose-limbed performance in his ‘If I Only Had a Brain’ number. Jeffrey Shankle takes on the roles of Hickory and Tinman, being more stalwart on the farm and the most sensible of the group as the Tinman. He also has great fun with his ‘If I Only Had a Heart’ number, managing to dance effortlessly around the stage in his slightly cumbersome costume. Jordan B. Stocksdale is a complete delight as Zeke and the Cowardly Lion, turning in a great performance with both of his songs — ‘If I Only Had the Nerve’ and ‘If I Were King of the Forest’ — making the Lion his own but also doing some nice references to Bert Lahr’s performance in the movie. I would be remiss if I didn’t also mention Moritz Vincent-Lowry in the role of Toto, the cutest, calmest little pooch you could imagine.
Tina Marie DeSimone takes on the roles of the villainous Elvira Gulch and the Wicked Witch, really making them two distinct personalities even though they both have the same agenda — get rid of the little girl and her dog at any cost. With Minnick’s direction, she often seems to appear out of nowhere around various places on or above the stage, and she brings a nice intensity to the Witch that also may frighten small children. MaryKate Brouillet makes for a very lovely and beautiful Glinda the Good Witch, helping Dorothy get on her way, saving them when they fall prey to the Witch’s poppies, and not afraid to put that wicked old witch in her place when she tries to get bossy in Munchkinland. Robert Biedermann is terrific as the Wizard, first only heard with his booming voice, and then reduced to just a man putting on an act but willing to help Dorothy’s friends get what they were searching for (but always had), but falling short when it comes time to grant Dorothy’s wish. Heather Marie Beck and David Bosley-Reynolds are also very good as Aunt Em and Uncle Henry, giving very authentic performances on the farm, and Bosley-Reynolds also appears as the guard at the gates of Emerald City, getting to play a little more broadly (Beck also reappears as one of the Poppies, and in some other ensemble roles).
Jeri Tidwell Photography
Speaking of the Ensemble, as noted, they really have a lot to do throughout the show when there is a big group number, but they also get to take some of the spotlight as Munchkins. Brandon Bedore, Shawn Kettering and Patrick Gover play the Mayor, Barrister and Coroner of Munchkinland, respectively, Gover a particular hoot, each of them sounding very close to the Munchkins of the movie but without any kind of electronic trickery to change their voices. JC Bost, Patricia ‘Pep’ Targete and Carolina Tomasi are very cute as the Lullaby League, and Joey Ellinghaus, Gover and Walker Vlahos do a great job evoking the Lollypop Guild from the movie with very similar, distinctive choreography. Bedore, Gover and Kettering also show up as crows in Scarecrow’s corn field, Amanda Kaplan Landstrom, Tomasi and Tori Weaver are the Apple Trees, Gover also leads the Winkies as the Winkie General, and Ellinghaus makes for an appropriately frightening Nikko, the Wicked Witch’s lead Flying Monkey. Everyone is just fantastic as they seamlessly move from scene to scene and character to character.
From top to bottom, Minnick and company have delivered a truly delightful production of The Wizard of Oz that remains very faithful to the source but never feels like a retread. It’s a feel good show that’s warm and cozy because you know the characters, you know the story, you know the songs, making it truly timeless.
Of course, this is dinner theatre and, again, the food does not disappoint. The meal starts with a salad bar filled with your favorite ingredients, followed by the buffet with various salads, cheeses and fruit to start, and themed sides including Scarecrow’s Corn, Bewitching Broccoli, Emerald City Vegetables, Yellow Brick Potatoes, Munchkin’s Macaroni and Cheese, the signature Spinach Phunque, Flying Monkey Meatballs, Cowardly Chicken Cutlets, Tin Man’s Tilapia, steamed shrimp, and the carving board with Steamship Round, Baked Virginia Ham and Roasted Breast of Turkey. Plus there is dessert (a choice of cakes) and an ice cream bar in the lobby. As with every show, there is also a themed specialty drink, and for The Wizard of Oz that drink is called The Flying Monkey, which is a frozen chocolate and banana drink topped with whipped cream and sprinkles that the kids will love and the adults can enjoy with some Bailey’s Irish Cream, if they so choose. Everything is delicious and my mouth is watering just thinking about it!
If you’re a fan of the movie version of The Wizard of Oz and are looking for an outing for yourself and family or friends, you can’t go wrong with a great meal (dinner or brunch) and an absolutely wonderful show that will definitely make you feel like a kid again. So follow that Yellow Brick Road (or your GPS) to Columbia, Maryland and Toby’s Dinner Theatre.
Note: Be sure to check the theatre’s website for updated information on parking as the new Toby’s facility is currently under construction and spaces in the main lot are limited.
The Wizard of Oz runs through June 7, 2026. Toby’s next production is the musical adaptation of the hit comedy film Mean Girls, on stage June 12-August 23, 2026.
The Wizard of Oz – Toby’s Dinner Theatre of Columbia, MD
Toby’s Dinner Theatre
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