J*Company Youth Theatre Presents “The Wiz”
The cast of “The Wiz” includes (left to right) Riley Hull (Tin Man), Mikel Lemoine (Cowardly Lion), Talia Israel (Dorothy), and Brendan Dallaire (Scarecrow).
“Ease on Down the Road” with Dorothy, Scarecrow, Tin Man and the Cowardly Lion in a trippy take on “The Wiz,” a contemporary revision of “The Wizard of Oz.” Performances of The Wiz will run from Friday, January 13 through Sunday, 29 at the David and Dorothea Garfield Theatre at the Lawrence Family Jewish Community Center, Jacobs Family Campus, located at 4126 Executive Drive in La Jolla.
Featured in the cast are Talia Israel (Dorothy), Brendan Dallaire (Scarecrow), Riley Hull (Tin Man), Mikel Lemoine (Cowardly Lion), Moira Hall (Glinda) and Lily Ruffner (Evilene the Wicked Witch).
J* Company Youth Theater Group will send audiences on a fantastical adventure through Oz as Dorothy, a feisty Kansas farm girl, is transported to a magical place where everything she knows is turned upside down as she’s introduced to a new perspective filled with colorful characters.
Infusing L. Frank Baum’s original classic with a modern mix of rock, gospel and soul, The Wiz is long known for making a bold statement and J Company’s version does not shy away from the social commentary.
Set in the politically, culturally and socially charged atmosphere of the 60’s, J Company’s Artistic Director, Joey Landwehr, has re-imagined the story of Dorothy – turning her quest to return home into an eye-opening experience that will forever change the way she views the world.
“It’s a story about how she changes,” says Landwehr. “At its core, this story has always been about Dorothy’s transformation. In our version, we just take her from her safe little, sheltered home and drop her into an environment where she meets people unlike herself so she’s forced to make her own decisions about the path she follows.”
The show itself portrays the evolution of time as it brings you through the sweeping cultural movement that existed in that era with messages that still resonate today. Featuring a diverse cast of kids who hail from all sorts of different racial and ethnic backgrounds – very much representative of our modern melting pot – the themes of acceptance, change and perseverance shine through with stellar performances that will elicit laughter, applause and hopefully, conversation.
Call the JCC Box Office at (858) 362-1348 or visit www.jcompanysd.org to purchase tickets and for more information.
Category: Entertainment
