STAGE REVIEW : Not Over the Rainbow, but Fun

The Fullerton Civic Light Opera Company’s “The Wizard of Oz” is so enamored of the movie version, the 1939 fairy tale turned American institution, that it’s really a little beside itself.

While ably performed, this production never goes out on its own, happy instead to give a live reflection of the film’s beloved (and kitschy) moments. Calling this show derivative is an understatement--director Jan Duncan and choreographer Sha NewmanQ duplicate the style and many of the moves they’ve seen on the big screen, and most of their actors are pleased to impersonate the stars, from Judy Garland to Bert Lahr.

Maybe that’s enough (children will probably enjoy all the big-eyed, broad performances and Popsicle-colored visuals; parents may find it all too precious), but you do yearn for more invention. “The Wizard of Oz” seems to present such opportunities, so it’s disappointing when the inspiration is so grounded in what has come before.

Perhaps Duncan thinks that it’s wrong to tamper with a classic or worries that any new romping would go against the audience’s expectations. Whatever, she does present the key moments in generally amusing ways, although we know exactly what’s coming and, after a while, how it’s all going to be presented.

The pace often toddles, but the fairly elaborate set changes (Ed Gallagher’s scenery is not expensive-looking, but it is bright and vaguely hallucinatory), Mela Hoyt-Heydon’s bold costumes, the flying witches and steady handling of Harold Arlen and E.Y. Harburg’s well-known score can give pleasure.

Outside of not taking enough chances, there’s really nothing to fault the cast with. Rita Baretta presents a pretty, girlish Dorothy done up in gingham and pigtails. Her singing is also pretty; she doesn’t disappoint on “Over the Rainbow.”

Joe Fletcher as the Scarecrow, Randy Gianetti as the Tin Man and Daniel Halkyard as the Cowardly Lion are pleasing as well, with comfortable voices and characterizations. In heavy makeup, Polly Seale looks and sounds just like Margaret Hamilton’s original Wicked Witch of the West. Ray Erlenborn’s Wizard is an appropriately pompous bumbler.

The show relies on many children, who have been well rehearsed by Duncan. One of the best scenes is reserved for the handful who play the Munchkins. They too mimic their movie counterparts but do so with such earnestness that you can’t help but smile.

‘THE WIZARD OF OZ’

A Fullerton Civic Light Opera Company production of the stage adaptation of the 1939 movie, with music and lyrics by Harold Arlen and E.Y. Harburg. Directed by Jan Duncan. With Rita Baretta, Randy Gianetti, Joe Fletcher, Daniel Halkyard, Debbie Rothstein, Jim Trebilcox, Polly Seale, Ray Erlenborn, Thad Stracker, Anastasia Horne, Mandy Mac Kinzie, Bryce Papenbrock, Missy Kay, Shoshana Nisan, Sarah Pfeifer, Steve Smith, Ryan Nemetz, David Chessen. Choreography by Sha Newman. Lighting by Beverley Michika Thies. Sets by Ed Gallagher. Costumes by Mela Hoyt-Heydon. Plays Thursday through Saturday at 8 p.m. and Sunday at 2:30 p.m. through Nov. 4, with a 2:30 p.m. performance Nov. 3 and a 7:30 p.m. show Oct. 28., at the Plummer Auditorium, 201 E. Chapman Ave., Fullerton. Tickets: $12 to $23. (714) 879-1732.