Classic show includes modern twists
By: Jessica Beym
Only in the Land of Oz are there flying monkeys, green horses and singing Munchkins.
And only when "The Wizard of Oz" is produced on stage in Cranbury are there references to Gov. Jon Corzine’s budget, Johnny Depp’s good looks and "Citizen Kane"’s Rosebud.
The comical twist of the 1939-film was spun by play director Gary Charwin and performed by 45 area youngsters last week as part of the Cranbury Art Council’s summer camp.
Parents, friends and siblings were invited to escape the afternoon summer heat on July 21 for a performance in Fellowship Hall of the United Methodist Church on North Main Street.
The day before, the young actors ages 7 through 11 frantically ran back and forth between the stage and the dressing area as they prepared for their first full-length dress rehearsal.
The students only had eight days of meeting three hours a day to land their parts, learn their lines and practice the songs and dance moves.
For 11-year-old Melissa Amico, the experience is always exciting and intense. Melissa, who played Dorothy, said this was the fourth year she has participated in the two-week summer theater camp.
"It’s really fun because it gives everyone a chance to be in a play and express themselves," Melissa said. "The first week is always the hardest, but then the rest just comes easy."
The actors spent the first part of their afternoons learning every aspect of the theater: costumes, set design, music, and dance. Then, the students put it all together on stage.
Mr. Charwin, who has been directing the camp for the past six years and directs the plays at the Cranbury School, said he isn’t alone in guiding the kids to a successful performance. Lisa Gordon is the music director, Elena Leson is the choreographer, and Idania Rodriguez is in charge of arts and crafts.
Parents and members of the Arts Council also help out with costume and set design, by bringing in supplies like paint, tissue and construction paper, and old clothes for the students to modify into costumes.
"We want it to look great but we also want the kids to have a part in the production and take ownership," Mr. Charwin said.
With nine principal roles and plenty of opportunities for the other actors to get on stage, everyone had a part in the production.
Seven-year-old Arman Grewal makes his appearance on stage along side the Tin Man, who is played by 11-year-old Nicole Kerr. Just being on stage is exciting, Arman said.
"I sing, dance and do all the hand movements," Arman said. "I don’t like looking out at the audience, because I get frozen sometimes. But I like people knowing that I’m apart of it."
Nicole, wearing a silver spray-painted denim outfit, said the handmade feel of the play from the adapted scripts, to the creative costumes and sets is the best part of the production. But she is no stranger to the stage, she said, being that she was a part of the camp for the past four years and also has been in two plays at Hightstown High School.
For those who haven’t had a chance to be in the limelight, the theater summer camp is a perfect opportunity to get some exposure to theater, Mr. Charwin said. Many of the students who participate in the camp move on to perform in Cranbury School productions when they enter sixth grade, and even move on to more theater in high school, he said.
"This starts them off," he said. "A lot of kids step up and move on to bigger shows."
Mr. Charwin said he usually picks well-known plays to perform, so the children are familiar with them, but he uses his own twists and current news puns to make the show comical for the parents. Some of the jokes have to be explained to the kids, such as when the house is dropped on the Wicked Witch of the East and she cries out "Rosebud" with her last dying breath.
"It’s adapted to make it fun, with updated humor for the parents," Mr. Charwin said. "But the kids get a little film lesson with it, too."