Ease on Down the Road

The writing of L. Frank Baum meets African-American pop culture of the 1970s in , which a cast of McCluer High School thespians have performed this past weekend and will continue this upcoming weekend at the .

Directed by Doug Erwin, the school's Fine Arts Coordinator and Director of Speech and Theatre, the upbeat musical stays true to the late 1970s classic starring Diana Ross and the late Michael Jackson. It's a celebration of black culture and plays with the conventions established in the classic Wizard of Oz.

The plot of this family-friendly take-off, which originally hit Broadway in 1975 and Hollywood in 1978, is essentially the same.

A tornado sweeps Dorothy away from Kansas and takes her to Oz, where she meets and has adventures with the Scarecrow, Tin Man and the Lion who lack a brain, heart and courage.

The musical scoring, however, bears little in common with the familiar showtunes like Somewhere Over the Rainbow and If I Only Had a Brain. Substituted for those old chestnuts are funky, soul anthems such as Ease On Down the Road, gospel-inspired melodies such as Don't You Bring Me No Bad News and stirring R&B croons such as Be a Lion.

A few new characters pop up as well.

The Crows, a trio of Supremes-esque divas, antagonize the Scarecrow and occasionally narrate scene changes. The Field Mice -- played by children from seven different elementary schools in the   -- act as policing authorities for the Land of Oz.

Elementary students also played munchkins and flying monkeys on roller skates. One of the monkeys' mothers, Donna Trupiano, said acting in The Wiz had been a valuable experience for her daughter and all the children involved.

"It gives them exposure to a whole new environment," Trupiano said at Thursday night's dress rehearsal. "A lot of kids their age are into sports. This opens their eyes that there are a lot of things out there to try."

McCluer High School alum and former thespian Taelon Smith was also in attendance for the dress rehearsal. The experience of acting in school plays helped provide the St. Louis University freshman with an organized environment that requires discipline and effort while still being fun.

"It was amazing being out there," Smith said.

As the star of the show, sophomore Alexis Tucker has enjoyed and grown from the experience of playing Dorothy.

"I like the experience because it's like a professional show with great costumes and make-up," Tucker said. "I also like the cast. It's like a family."

Thursday night's dress rehearsal allowed the cast and crew to work out a few kinks before opening night. Seated at the back of the auditorium, Erwin provided some feedback and stage direction through the sound system and paused the performance a couple times, mostly to direct the youngest actors.

Tragedy struck in the rehearsal when the actor playing the Lion broke through a Plexiglas light cover on the Yellow Brick Road and hurt his leg. After a break and some time off-stage, the actor championed through the pain and finished out the show -- a fitting end for a vibrant show about the value of striving and succeeding.

"They're great kids," said Mike Kaseberg, a volunteer who sells pictures taken at rehearsals to benefit the drama program. "I just like The Wiz, and there are some strong performers."

The Wiz opened Friday night at 7 p.m. The production runs again this weekend, Friday at 7 p.m., Saturday at 7 p.m. and Sunday at 2 p.m.

Tickets are $8 at the door and $6 in advance. They can be purchased on the Civic Center's ticketing site, where customers may select specific seats in the auditorium for any show. The theater box office opens one hour before each show.