A Room With a View

Dui Dorothy, Dutch Dorothy, Glam Dorothy, Granny Dorothy, Latin Dorothy, Dorothy Does Dallas, Trailer Trash Dorothy

I’ve uploaded pics to an album.  I may move this around.  I’ve not really played around with pics on the site before.  Anyone have any know-how on puting pics in the blog itself? 

For a couple months I’ve been entertaining my team at work by telling puns that I’ve read off the Internet (or just being my witty self).  Then at the beginning of October I started with Halloween jokes from the Internet.  Then when everyone knew I was going to be a Dorothy for Halloween, I found Wizard of Oz jokes. 

Yesterday: 

At our Team Meeting at work our Team Leader Jennifer informed us that someone from a neighboring team logged a noise complaint against our team.  I guess we have too much fun.  They’re so jealous.  Jennifer said that we shouldn’t stop having fun becaus she’s interested in what Dorothy would say to Abraham Lincoln….

…and that got me thinking

What would Dorothy say to Abraham Lincoln?
“Pay no attention to that man behind the curtain!”

Happy Reformation Day!  (or as the rest of you know it, Happy Halloween)

I was feeling a bit impulsive on Friday.  I had known that S., one of my 7th graders from this past year, was in a production of The Wizard of Oz and I had tentative plans to go see it with some friends.  They are out of town on vacation and couldn’t go Friday, but it was opening night, so I called that day for ticket availability.  And there was room. 

I have always loved the movie and watched it countless times as a child.  My favorite lines are when the flying monkeys have attacked and the scarecrow is on the ground having been scattered to all corners.  “First they took my legs off and they threw them over there.  Then they took my chest out and they threw them over there.”  And the Tin Man and the Cowardly Lion have some witty remarks before helping:  “Well, that’s you all over, isn’t it?” and “You’d better pull yourself together.”  I think this was a foundation for my love of scarcasm and wit.

The performance was by the Valley Youth Theatre (www.vyt.com) and that attracts a different kind of audience.  To my right in my seat in the balcony was a mom with three boys ranging from 17ish to 10ish.  The oldest noogied the middle son before the performance began.  Not typically what is seen in most theaters. 

To my right I had first a mom whose daughter was basically part of the chorus and on stage for about ten minutes when Dorothy and the gang get to the Emerald City.  One of her other kids had been in another production of the play.  She had seen nine performances of that production so she was oh, so excited to see another.  She was also very cold because she was wearing a dress with only spaghetti straps which was fine for the 90 degree weather outside, but not for the airconditioning inside. “You could go buy a t-shirt,” I suggested.  “Oooohh, NO!”

On the other side of her was the grandparents of the Tin Man.  “He had to shave his head for the part.  He does it all himself,” the grandma said.  The grandpa missed a lot of the dialogue and his wife had to repeat things for him.  I don’t know why, because he didn’t laugh. 

A great performance.  The set was shipped in from some professional production.  There was several miscues though that were quite funny and very endearing.  A spark was supposed to come out of the witch’s broom to light the scarecrow “on fire” but it didn’t.  Dorothy and the Scarecrow knock on the Tin Man, but their first knock was not once matched with the sound effect.  Towards the end, the witch comes flying in, but she doesn’t get detached from the wire. She realizes that when she tries to walk across the stage.  The whole audience is dying.  She covered well by yelling at the guards. Two of them got a clue, walked over, detached her, and heading around the stage out of sight, getting back on stage where they were supposed to be just in time for the scene to end.  Opening nights are fun.

A special surprise was one of the original movie cast members.  A munchkin who was one of the “sleepyheads.”  She’s in her 80’s.  She spoke before the play and answered questions and signed autographs at intermission. 

If you should see a stage production, there’s something you should know.  There’s a number in the second half that’s not found in the moive.  It’s called the Jitterbug.  Catchy tune, but very bizarre. 

If you’re in Phoenix, check out the play.  You’ll enjoy it.  You can get tickets at the Herberger Theater downtown.  It’s playing now through most of the month.  The Valley Youth Theater puts on several very good performances throughout the year at the Herberger and mainly at their own theater.  Check them out!