Darrow School Fall Play: A New Take On A Classic

Follow the Yellow Brick Road to Darrow School on Friday, November 9, at 7:30 pm and Saturday, November 10, at 3:30 pm as the Darrow Theater Workshop presents its fall musical, There’s No Place Like Home, an original production based on L. Frank Baum’s famous work, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. Both performances are free and open to the public.
“This is a modernized version of the classic story,” said Darrow’s Director of Performing Arts, Will McGreal, “featuring improvised performances by the cast that were refined by a select group of students. In the Darrow Theater Workshop’s interpretation,” McGreal said, “Dorothy lives on a corporate farm in Kansas, where her Aunt Em is a successful CEO. Following a tornado that sweeps Dorothy and her dog Toto into another world, she meets a know-it-all scarecrow, a hyper-sensitive tin man and a lion with an identity crisis. In this strange new world, the Munchkins communicate only by smart-phone texts and the witch is a land-loving prophet of global warming. It’s a humorous take on the original,” McGreal said, “that also addresses modern day issues that could not have been imagined when Baum first published the story in 1900.” Student designed and created sets, costumes, lighting and sound reflect the modern interpretation.  The production will be accompanied by the Theodicy Jazz Collective, founded and directed by Darrow Music Program Director Andrew Barnett.
There’s No Place Like Home is the first in a series of dynamic performances for Darrow’s 2012-2013 school year. The School’s annual presentation of Winter Revels, a celebration of the solstice and global holiday traditions, will be held on December 9 and 10, a series of one act plays will be presented in March and several concerts featuring Darrow’s chorus and music ensembles will be announced soon.