Week one<\/b> The real Wizard of Oz is not the mighty necromancer who bestows courage on gutless lions or gives brains to straw-headed scarecrows. It\u2019s not even the vaguely Bert Newton-like chap who can transport a little girl lost back to Kansas. No, the real Wizard of Oz is Nancye Hayes. It is Hayes, the show\u2019s director, who establishes the mood on day one of the five-week rehearsal period. Always softly spoken, she introduces a calming resolve, good humour and clarity of intent to go with her non dictatorial style.<\/p>\n It\u2019s a late October morning and, inside a spartan Glebe rehearsal studio, a slightly nervous Hayes gives a welcoming speech that charms the company and \u2013 like the Good Witch she played in a Melbourne production of The Wizard of Oz<\/i> a decade ago \u2013 casts a spell of contagious optimism.<\/p>\n By contrast, straight-talking choreographer Kelly Aykers lays down the law about fitness. \u201cIt\u2019s professional theatre,\u201d she tells me later. \u201cThese guys should all be trained in singing, acting and dancing. They know that if they\u2019re going to be dancing, their fitness level has to be up.\u201d<\/p>\n Finally, dog-trainer Lindy Coote decrees that only Nikki Webster (Dorothy) \u2013 around whom the production was conceived \u2013 is allowed contact with Spirit and Portia, the two cairn terriers that will share the role of Toto. Coote says it is vital that the dogs be able to pick Webster out on a stage crowded with Munchkins or monkeys. \u201cIf everyone else ignores them, they don\u2019t ever think, \u2018Hey, you gave me a piece of your ham sandwich the other day. You might do it again.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Thereafter it\u2019s straight into a read-through of scene one. Webster, Pamela Rabe (Almira Gulch\/Wicked Witch), Doug Parkinson (Zeke\/Cowardly Lion), Philip Gould (Hickory\/Tin Man), Kane Alexander (Hunk\/Scarecrow), Delia Hannah (Aunt Em\/Glinda) and Tony Geappen (Uncle Henry) sit in a ring of plastic chairs. Cast months before, they have all done their homework and immediately sound convincing. Meanwhile, the 16-member ensemble warms up its collective larynx next door with musical director Peter Casey \u2013 the first steps towards nailing a dozen songs.<\/p>\n Bert Newton\u2019s commitments to the Melbourne-based Good Morning Australia limit his availability, so day three is his first appearance as Professor Marvel\/the Wizard. More than the others, he actively seeks direction from Hayes and is delighted with what he gets. \u201cShe\u2019s not a bully \u2013 as some directors can be \u2013 but she gets what she wants,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n Newton\u2019s hectic schedule has him flying to Sydney twice a week, participating in only half the rehearsals. \u201cI can sleep anywhere any time,\u201d he says, \u201cso my plane trips are basically spent having a snooze\u2026 The thing I\u2019ve had to learn to do pretty quickly is recognise where I am when I wake up. Am I in a dressing room \u2013 television or theatre? Am I on a plane? Am I at home? Am I at a hotel? The moment that I don\u2019t know within five minutes, I think I might have to retire!\u201d<\/p>\n Week two<\/b> Lindy Coote is another wizard. Having trained the two dogs in the basics, she has to ready them for the role of Toto. At home she has been getting them accustomed to loud noises by banging books together and to pyrotechnics by lighting sparklers in the dark. The unexpected is always a skip away in dealing with animals, and when Spirit takes fright at Rabe\u2019s Wicked Witch cape and broomstick, precious time is consumed dispelling the fear. Spirit and Portia also have to respond to their stage name and, above all, bond with Webster.<\/p>\n Fortunately, Webster loves dogs and this bond comes as easily as everything else to the 14-year-old who, despite having the largest part, is the first to learn her lines. She\u2019s not perfect, however, and Hayes has to slow down her rapid-fire delivery, an issue broached with typical diplomacy. Aykers, meanwhile, has to \u201cget the modern pop princess out of her body\u201d in favour of the intended vaudevillian dance style and Casey has to coax her not to impose pop nuances on melodies.<\/p>\n Climbing temperatures make the studios uncomfortable in the afternoons and the roof leaks when it rains. Hayes has slipped into a routine of rising at 6am to plan her day. Rehearsals last from 10am to 6pm, six days a week. Sometimes she wakes in the middle of the night with worry. Even when she looks tired, her temper never frays. She still speaks softly, commanding attention from a company whose camaraderie is already tangible.<\/p>\n One of the delights for everyone is Rabe\u2019s return to the Wicked Witch, having previously played the part in the same production as Hayes (which also had Newton and Geappen in their current roles). Rabe\u2019s every appearance lights up the studio with a delicious evil and the show\u2019s funniest lines. \u201cIt all feels fresh,\u201d she says. \u201cIt\u2019s a part that I just love playing. It feels like coming home.\u201d<\/p>\n Week three<\/b> The charmer of the cast in Parkinson, whose bonhomie seems big enough for all to share. Like Alexander with his Scarecrow costume and Gould as the Tinman, Parkinson knows in advance that his Lion costume will impede movement. The first time he wears just the tail it lashes the other players and snags the dog\u2019s leash. \u201cThis show is an obstacle course,\u201d says Hayes, grimacing.<\/p>\n Initially, the singing, acting and dancing were rehearsed separately. Now they are fully integrated, with Casey conducting and extracting the vocal performances he wants over piano accompaniment.<\/p>\n Week four<\/b> Aykers, who describes sitting in the audience on opening nights as \u201cmore nerve-racking than any performance I\u2019ve ever given\u201d, dresses down the children in the cast for their sloppy performances as Munchkins. The tension is a clear indication that time is running out.<\/p>\n Eight days out from the previews the cast rehearses with the 17-piece orchestra. With no staging, this is Casey\u2019s chance to tie the two elements together. Hearing Webster singing Over The Rainbow<\/em> with the orchestra feels like a landmark and she is applauded by some of the musicians. \u201cShe is such a professional,\u201d says Casey. \u201cShe\u2019ll give the same amount of effort, thought and application as an adult twice her age. She\u2019s a phenomenal performer.\u201d<\/p>\n Week five<\/b> While the rehearsals have been proceeding, the set has been bumped into the Lyric Theatre, built and lit. This, however, adds the biggest layer of complexity and, when the company moves to the theatre for the final week, much of the initial focus is on incorporating flying harnesses, trap-doors and pyrotechnics.<\/p>\n Two days before the first preview a run-through is stopped when Parkinson nearly faints, Wearing a sweater during the preceding has not been enough to acclimatise the performer to the extreme heat of the Lion costume under lights. \u201cIt was about 50 degrees-plus inside my suit,\u201d he says. \u201cI had to get help to get out of the thing.\u201d<\/p>\n By contrast the dogs are a joy, taking the pyrotechnics in their short stride, although at one point the Lion spooks one. \u201cI suppose she thought, \u2018What dog is this? I\u2019ve never seen one like this before!\u2019\u201d laughs Hayes, who admits warming to her canine cast.<\/p>\n Changes are still being made a day before the first preview, as Hayes, Aykers and Casey give notes to the company, mainly about timing and positioning. Designer Roger Kirk\u2019s sets and costumes are so dazzling I ask Webster if she ever wishes that she could step out of herself and see the show from the front? \u201cNo,\u201d she beams. \u201cI like being in the middle of it.\u201d<\/p>\n Wish granted.<\/p>\n The Wizard of Oz is now playing at the Lyric Theatre, Star City.<\/i><\/p>\n Source: Sydney Morning Herald A brain, courage, heart: it has taken the lot to stage The Wizard of Oz, as John Shand discovered during the rehearsals. Week one \u201cWe\u2019re not in Kansas anymore, Portia, I mean, Toto\u2026\u201d The real Wizard of Oz is not the mighty necromancer who bestows courage on gutless lions or gives brains to straw-headed scarecrows. … Continue reading<\/a>Friends of Dorothy<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9,73],"tags":[21],"class_list":["post-65","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-9","category-the-wizard-of-oz","tag-the-wizard-of-oz"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/nikkiwebsterfan.net\/press\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/65","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/nikkiwebsterfan.net\/press\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/nikkiwebsterfan.net\/press\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nikkiwebsterfan.net\/press\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nikkiwebsterfan.net\/press\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=65"}],"version-history":[{"count":10,"href":"https:\/\/nikkiwebsterfan.net\/press\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/65\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1763,"href":"https:\/\/nikkiwebsterfan.net\/press\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/65\/revisions\/1763"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/nikkiwebsterfan.net\/press\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=65"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nikkiwebsterfan.net\/press\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=65"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nikkiwebsterfan.net\/press\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=65"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}![\"\"](\"http:\/\/nikkiwebsterfan.net\/press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2001\/12\/friendsofdorothy.jpg\")
<\/a><\/p>\n
\n\u201cWe\u2019re not in Kansas anymore, Portia, I mean, Toto\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n
\n\u201cI\u2019ll get you my pretty\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n
\nA sting in the lion\u2019s tail\u2026<\/p>\n
\nSomewhere, near the rainbow\u2026<\/p>\n
\n\u201cHello, yellow brick road\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n
\nView scan of this article<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"