CHILDREN’S THEATER REVIEW : Kids With Heart Stage a Smart ‘Wizard of Oz’

ORANGE —  The idea of putting L. Frank Baum’s “The Wonderful Wizard of Oz” on stage boggles the imagination. Trying to do it (in John Kane’s stage adaptation) following the classic MGM film version would appear to be even trickier.

And doing it with actors whose ages range from 5 to 15 even seems foolhardy.

Let it never be said that the Broadway On Tour children’s theater company doesn’t have courage. They also have an obviously patient and knowledgeable director in Daniel Halkyard.

For the six-year-old company’s first full-length show in its new home in The City Shopping Center, Halkyard has staged Baum’s fantasy in a production that can hold its head high in many respects, not the least of which is the sheer joy apparent in the young performers.

Using the film score, the production allows those with strong voices to shine. If some of the choral work (under John Massey Jr.’s direction) is a bit hesitant, the chorus comes to full volume and energy in the more familiar melodies, including “Ding Dong! The Witch is Dead!” and “The Merry Old Land of Oz.”

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For some reason, Halkyard has chosen to include “The Jitterbug,” a number cut from the film before release for very good reason. Its title detracts from the timelessness of the story and its rhythms are firmly set in the late ‘30s.

Otherwise, the film is duplicated with care and affection. Some of that affection is evident in the performances. In a cast where the leads are doubled (there is an “O” and “Z” cast; the latter was reviewed), Summer Smith is charming and very close to the gentle, rosy-auraed Billy Burke as Glinda, the Good Witch of the North.

Sienna Spencer is Miss Gulch and the Wicked Witch, made up to resemble the movie’s Margaret Hamilton. Spencer isn’t content with duplicating the original, and adds some funny wickedness of her own.

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No one could duplicate the 16-year-old Judy Garland as Dorothy, and Kirstin Jorgensen doesn’t try. She doesn’t have to. She creates her own Dorothy and sings “Over the Rainbow” with a strong voice and gentle vulnerability that are just right.

Kelly Hanenberg’s Scarecrow is a delight both in movement and vocally, with the assurance and timing of a true vaudevillian. Brian Michener and Josh Cuevas as the Tin Man and the Cowardly Lion, respectively, aren’t quite as strong but carry their parts with ease. Cuevas is particularly funny, adding his own personality to the Lion’s “King of the Forest” number.

Very impressive as the Wizard, and Professor Marvel, is Erik Koehler, who inventively chooses a mid-Atlantic accent for both and gives the roles an interesting twist.

Staccato “arfs” are the only dialogue given to Ashlee Gillespie as Toto, but she barks them with very human meanings and is quite funny doing it.

Also very funny are the three young gentlemen who screw up their faces as the Munchkins who represent the Lollipop Guild; they stand out in a cast of youngsters who retain the magic and the charm of the original due to the fact that they take the whole thing quite seriously.

* “The Wizard of Oz,” Broadway On Tour Theatre, The City Shopping Center, 20 City Drive, No. 138, Orange. Thursday-Saturday, 7:30 p.m., Saturday-Sunday, 2:30 p.m. Ends Sunday. $6-$8. (714) 385-1555. Running time: 2 hours, 25 minutes.

Kirstin Jorgensen: Dorothy

Kelly Hanenberg: Scarecrow

Brian Michener: Tin Man

Josh Cuevas: Cowardly Lion

Summer Smith: Glinda/Aunt Em

Sienna Spencer: Miss Gulch/Wicked Witch

Erik Koehler: Prof. Marvel/Wizard of Oz

Garret Baker: Uncle Henry/Gatekeeper

Ashlee Gillespie: Toto

A Broadway On Tour production. Adapted from the book by L. Frank Baum. Music by Harold Arlen. Lyrics by E.Y. Harburg. Background music by Herbert Stothart. Adapted by John Kane from the screenplay. Directed by Daniel Halkyard. Vocal direction: John Massey Jr. Choreography: Kimber Jacobs. Sets: Neil Caplin/Production House. Costumes: Laurie Holden.