Chagrin Valley Little Theatre

Press Releases

Chagrin Valley Little Theatre goes "Over the Rainbow" for the Holidays - 10/23/08

CHAGRIN FALLS, OH - The Wizard of Oz arrived on the big screen nearly seventy years ago, was reissued in theaters ten and sixteen years after its debut, and has appeared regularly on television since 1959. There can hardly be a person living in the US today who hasn't seen the movie at least once. Presenting such familiar material on a community theater stage can be a very daunting task, but Chagrin Valley Little Theatre, which will begin a five-weekend run of Oz on November 21, is prepared for the challenge.

The stage adaptation of The Wizard of Oz was developed by The Royal Shakespeare Company in the late 1980s, using John Kane's reworking of the motion picture screenplay, and the well-loved music and lyrics by Harold Arlen and E.Y. Harburg. At the helm of CVLT's production is director Greta Rothman, who has directed special event shows such as Murder By The Falls at CVLT in the past, and makes her main season debut with this show. Ms. Rothman is uniquely suited to the task, as a life-long Oz fanatic with a sizeable collection of memorabilia related to the film. Original author L. Frank Baum himself could not have chosen a more suitable hand to mount this surprisingly complicated work. Using her intimate knowledge of the movie, Ms. Rothman intends to remain as true as possible to the Oz film that we all know and love, with the occasional wink at modern audiences to keep things fresh. The orchestra will be led by musical director John Krol, and the cast will be choreographed by Pamela LaForce. Technical director Edmond Wolff's scenic and lighting design will be given a 21st century boost by digital video and audio effects from Andrew Rothman (the director's younger brother).

The cast is led by Alex Marzullo, a senior at Hudson High School, in the role of Kansas' most famous fictional resident, 'Dorothy Gale'. By her side on the yellow brick road are fellow Hudson senior Jace Craft as 'Scarecrow', Guy Custer as 'Tinman', and Mark DePompei as 'Lion'. Marzullo, Craft and DePompei all held leading roles in last year's hit holiday musical, Honk! Vying for her dead sister's ruby slippers will be Laurel Bryant as the 'Wicked Witch of the West', with Paula Pike waving the magic wand of 'Glinda, the Good Witch of the North.' An ensemble of twenty additional actors of all ages will serve as the various Munchkins, talking trees, Winkies, and flying monkeys that the quartet encounter on their way to see the Wizard, played by Don Bernardo. CVLT expects this production of The Wizard of Oz, which appeared twice to high attendance crowds in the late 1990s, to be its most ambitious and successful version yet.

Chagrin Valley Little Theatre's The Wizard of Oz will be performed on Friday and Saturday nights at 8 PM from November 21 to December 20, with 2 PM matinee performances on November 30 and December 7. Tickets are $16 for regular admission, and $12 for students and seniors. The holiday fun at CVLT continues with the annual childrens' Holiday Show and Gingerbread Tea on December 13 and 14 ($6/$8), The Eight: Reindeer Monologues, a dark Christmas comedy for mature audiences at the River Street Playhouse from November 28 to December 13 (all seats $8), and the Christmas music concert on December 21.

Tickets for all CVLT shows and events can be purchased online 24 hours a day at www.CVLT.org, or by calling the Box Office at 440-247-8955 between 1 and 6 PM, Monday through Saturday.

Chagrin Valley Little Theatre is generously funded by Cuyahoga County residents through Cuyahoga Arts and Culture and is supported by the Ohio Arts Council. CVLT was voted 'Best Community Theatre' by Cleveland Magazine Readers, and 'Best Theatre Group' on the Fox 8 HotList in 2007

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