THEATER REVIEW: Dorothy in Wonderland

The size of the audience at Bald Eagle Area Drama Club’s production of DOROTHY IN WONDERLAND was a good indication that word is out that those kids do a great job.

The sets were creative and the costumes were beautiful. The backdrop for Wonderland was very effective. The royal court was elegantly dressed and the individual characters were easily recognized.  For me, though, the fun of a junior high production is watching for the future “stars” and, trust me, we saw the future in DOROTHY IN WONDERLAND. Most of all, I was impressed with the fact that I could hear and understand every word spoken on stage. This is not always the case with more “experienced” actors.

A good high school director will try to get as many students involved as possible in a production. This is great for educational purposes and for ticket sales, but creates a bit of a problem for any review. Space does not always allow mention of everyone and there were so many who deserve special recognition.

As Dorothy, Katherine Haagen had to carry the weight of the show and her poise and talent was up to the job. Katerine has been seen in past shows and her experience is evident. I loved the strength that she showed. ( Natural personality or acting?)

In character contrast, Amber Graham made a sweet Alice. I thought that the role of Alice might have been larger, since it took place in Wonderland, but Amber made the part memorable.

The “stars” of the evening may have been Dorothy’s trio of friends. The Cowardly Lion has always been one of my favorite characters and Darren Huyett did not disappoint. His roar made the audience sit up and pay attention! Tim Durachko was a gentle Tin Man, just as a man with a new heart should be. Keep your eye on Xander White. Scarecrow seemed to have a large amount of stage time and lines and Xander was a delight with every appearance.

Dale Dyke was perfect as Glinda the Good Witch. Dale has a particularly strong voice and floated around the stage as only a good witch could. Cami Haines and Margaret Noll as the Mad Hatter and the March Hare played off of each other so well. I assume that their madness was acting and not basic personalities.

There were so many clever touches in the show and I am out of room. But to mention a few: Michael Geyer’s Caterpillar and his bubble blowing pipe, the terrible puns thrown at Nicholas Townsend’s Humpty Dumpty, the arrogant Queen of Hearts and her rather wimpy King of Hearts were Allison Cowan and Caleb Cain ( a person could picture what type of marriage they had!)

All in all, it was a very enjoyable evening. I am waiting to see the members of the Drama Club show off their individual talents at the Dessert Cabaret Fundraiser on the 7th of February. Their spring musical will be The Sound of Music. Look for it in April 16 - 18.. It should be equally as good.