In 2018, a team of Italian researchers analyzed 47,000 films across 26 genres in an effort to discover which were referenced most in subsequent movies. Topping such iconic films as “Citizen Kane,” “The Godfather” and “Star Wars” was “The Wizard of Oz,” the fantasy blockbuster starring Judy Garland. The play is on stage now at Fort Myers Theatre, and Director Robin Dawn Ryan says the story’s enduring appeal lies in its reassuring metaphorical message.
“Of course, Dorothy figures out that there is no place like home, and I think it shows us that sometimes we forget that the people surrounding us love us and care about us no matter what we’re going through,” said Ryan.
What Dorothy is going through is that inevitable transition from childhood to adulthood. She doesn’t fit in anymore. She doesn’t feel at home. And with an assist from a Kansas tornado, she embarks on a journey during which she meets magical beings who represent parts of a complete personality – one that has brains, courage and, of course, heart.
Ryan’s directorial vision for the play fully embraces Oz’s metaphorical underpinnings, as evidenced by how she cast the Wicked Witch of the North.
“My witch is very different,” said Ryan. “I did not pick an old ugly witch. I picked a beautiful young lady who is playing the part wonderfully and it gives a little more of a twist, because I don’t feel like the witch had to be ugly because she was already ugly inside, not necessarily on the outside. And there’s a lot of people like that. They look great on the outside, but they’re not nice on the inside.”
Ryan never fails to impress when it comes to mining Southwest Florida’s talent pool for exquisite voices. Lillikoi Porter makes the role of Dorothy her own, and slays the Judy Garland classic, “Over the Rainbow.”
As founder and moving force behind Robin Dawn Dance Academy, when Ryan directs, she also choreographs. The dance numbers in this production of “Oz” are one of the show’s many strengths. It has all the usual and most beloved dance numbers, but this production has a surprise.
“I did the Winkies dance,” said Ryan. “The Winkies dance was pulled out of the original show…. My Winkies all come from the ‘70s, and we’re in a little black light and it’s a little more on that style when they dance.”
“The Wizard of Oz” runs through October 20.
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According to “The Guardian,” the other films that round out the top 5 of the most influential films of all time are “Star Wars,” “Psycho,” the 1933 version of “King Kong” and “2001: A Space Odyssey.” Appearing in the top 20 are the usual suspects, including “Casablanca,” “Citizen Kane,” “Dr. Strangelove,” and “The Godfather.”
The data was collected by a group of researchers from the University of Turin, whose study was published in “Applied Network Science.”
While “Casablanca,” “Citizen Kane,” “Vertigo” and “The Godfather” are consensus choices for Hollywood’s greatest films, the Library of Congress states that “The Wizard of Oz” is America’s most-watched movie of all times.
In 2001, the American Film Institute named “The Wizard of Oz” the 43rd most heart-pounding suspenseful film in history.
To contrast the ordinary world of Kansas with the magical world of Oz, the filmmakers shot the Kansas scenes in stark black-and-white and the scenes in Oz in Technicolor. “Oz” was one of the very first films that ever used the latter technology.
MGM originally wanted Shirley Temple to play the part of Dorothy.
MGM also wanted to cut “Somewhere Over the Rainbow,” arguing that it slowed the action and disrupted the quick pacing in the rest of the story. Fortunately, Oscar-winning lyricist Arthur Freed (“Gigi,” “An American in Paris,” “Singin’ in the Rain”) insisted that the song be retained.
Buddy Ebsen was originally cast as the Tin Man, but he had to be replaced by Jack Haley after falling ill due to aluminum poisoning from the make-up that was applied to Ebsen’s face and hands.
The movie and musical are based on a book written in 1900 by L. Frank Baum, who went on to write 12 more installments which were the analog to the modern-day fantasy series “Harry Potter.”
Oddly, “The Wizard of Oz” did not make any money in the year it was released. In 1939, the world was on the brink of war, the country was still recovering from the Great Depression and competition that year for theater patrons was stiff. “Gone with the Wind,” “Mr. Smith Goes to Washington” and “Stagecoach” all came out in the same year, which is widely regarded as the greatest single year in film history.
One of the reasons that “The Wizard of Oz” has proven so timeless is because it is the embodiment of the Hero’s Journey. A Kansas tornado whisks a teenage girl and her little dog to a strange land, where she makes new friends, learns from mentors, overcomes threshold guardians and battles a powerful enemy in order to find her way home again.
While Dorothy’s outer problem may be Miss Gulch’s antipathy toward Toto and her aunt's and uncle’s failure to stand by her, this production underscores Dorothy’s inner dilemma. She’s missing an important piece of her psyche. Her parents are dead. Her aunt and uncle don’t seem to have time for her. She feels like an imposition and doesn’t feel at home anymore. So in essence, her trip to Oz is a metaphorical quest for completion.
As she passes through corn fields, apple orchards, wild forests and poppy fields, Dorothy comes to terms with her feelings about the weak male role models in her life, learning life-altering lessons about her own resourcefulness, caring and nerve. But it’s through the Wicked Witch that she finally confronts her own inner demons.
In her dealings with the Witch and even the Wizard, Dorothy has another powerful ally, Toto, who symbolizes her intuition. That’s really what Miss Gulch and the Wicked Watch want to destroy. But that’s the one thing Dorothy won’t let them or anyone else do.
In the end, Dorothy learns that home is not a place but a state of mind and solutions to life’s most challenging problems emanate from within. No one needs to rescue this girl. She already possesses the brains, heart, courage and intuition to save herself.
This deeper understanding translates into a more profound experience not only for the cast, but for the audiences who see the show.
