MiraCosta's 'Wizard' pays homage with reimagined staging
By: PAM KRAGEN - Staff Writer

From singing crows and swooning trees, to a balletic tornado and puppet
wizard, L. Frank Baum's "The Wizard of Oz" has been colorfully reimagined in director Eric Bishop's entertaining production at MiraCosta College.

Based on the 1939 movie musical version of Baum's book, Bishop pays loving tribute to the movie ---- most of the characters physically and vocally resemble their film counterparts ---- but he isn't afraid to try new things to re-create the film's special effects on a live theater stage. The big-cast production boasts dozens of costumes, multiple sets, choreography, sound effects and a full orchestra. It's an ambitious staging that won't disappoint children (or adults) who have grown up on the MGM film version.

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The Wizard of Oz

MiraCosta's bubbly 'Earnest' is stylish, silly fun
by MiraCosta College

For more than a century now, generations of Americans who are young at heart have grown up with the special magic of L. Frank Baum’s The Wizard of Oz. That magic continued at MiraCosta College this month with a talented and imaginatively produced revival of this classic tale.

The “talented” part is thanks to its exceptionally talented cast of MiraCosta students. Sara Elliott’s beautiful voice, which was heard here last spring as Maria in West Side Story, returns in the role of the sweet and innocent Dorothy Gale who travels twister-like Over the Rainbow to learn there’s no place like home.

What she finds above the rainbow is the Merry Old Land of Oz – a curious country full of colorful characters and equally colorful landscapes courtesy of Kelly Kissinger’s sets that included a gorgeous, multi-layered forest scene and adorable little houses in Munchkinland. Unfortunately for Dorothy, the most recent housing addition was her own house, which by luck happened to land on the Wicked Witch of the East and made Dorothy quite an enemy in the witch’s sister from the West played by the hysterically expressionable and delightfully wicked Lydia Lesar.

Fortunately Dorothy makes a few very valuable friends on her journey back home to Kansas who help her deal with her wicked new enemy. An amusingly cowardly Lion (Toni Billante) who is braver than he ever would have believed.
A sensitive and big-hearted Tin Man (Eric Hellmers) whose tinsmith forgot to give him a heart. And especially the wise but brainless Scarecrow played so perfectly by Benjamin Hart from his voice to his rubbery dancing legs to his hilarious body language to his amazing expressions that are so completely in character every second of the show – altogether making you feel like you’ve got Ray Bolger himself onstage. But not to forget Dorothy’s other friends like the humorously humbug Wizard of Oz (Robin Morgan), a riotous performance by the melodramatic gate guard (Juan Casteneda), and last but not least, a precious little dog named Toto played by Penny in her stage debut who, though a little nervous, remembers to kiss Dorothy right on cue.

Magically, Toto becomes much larger when they get to Oz – just one of the magical things that innovative Director Eric Bishop and team added to the show. In this case, it was having Christopher Walsh don a big dog suit for Toto while in Oz. Other enhancements included the most entertaining Trees ever (Jessi Walters, Nicole Peters, and Lacey Phelps) who are branches-over-roots in love with the Tin Man. Then there are those laughably obnoxious Crows (Jason Dino, Devin McKenna, and Brandon Vara) who sadistically enjoy tormenting poor Scarecrow. And to wrap it all up – a twister made up by a chain of actors dressed in black who swirl across the stage, transporting Dorothy, Toto, and the rest of us for another visit to Oz!

Performed through October 12, 2003.

Rob Hopper
San Diego Playbill

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The Importance of Being Earnest

MiraCosta's bubbly 'Earnest' is stylish, silly fun
By: TRACY CUMMINGS - For the North County Times

Oscar Wilde's frothy play, "The Importance of Being Earnest," is the
silliest thing an acting company can perform. And the wittiest.

The play is a ridiculous romp. Jack (Nathan Ayling) has a stern persona
in the countryside. For relief from this facade, he vacations in
London, where he goes by the name of Earnest. The reason Jack gives his
family for his absences from the countryside is that he has to help his
wicked brother, Earnest, who lives in London. But he is Earnest when he is
in London.

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The Merry Wives of Windsor

MiraCosta's actors academy fills cast of 'Merry Wives'
By: PAM KRAGEN Staff Writer

Legend has it that Shakespeare wrote "The Merry Wives of Windsor" because Queen Elizabeth so enjoyed the secondary character of portly knight Sir John Falstaff in the "Henry IV" plays that she asked Shakespeare to write another play in which Falstaff was the romantic lead.

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