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‘Wizard of Oz’ lands at Henderson Pavilion

Once again, Dorothy Gale and Toto are off to see the mysterious Wizard of Oz, who has transported the Emerald City to Henderson.

"One of the great things is you can't help but see every frame from the movie in your head," said Cory Goble, who is playing the Scarecrow in the Las Vegas Shakespeare Company's production of the 1939 classic "The Wizard of Oz." "The script is pretty much word for word from the original."

Under the direction of Dan Decker, "The Wizard of Oz" is scheduled at 8 p.m. Friday, Saturday and May 21 and 4 p.m. Sunday and May 22 at the Henderson Pavilion, 200 S. Green Valley Parkway. Tickets are $10.

The story centers around Kansas farmgirl Dorothy Gale, who is transported to a magical land somewhere over the rainbow and is tasked with facing a wicked witch, finding a wizard and making her way back home.

Along the way, she meets three travelers who help her on her journey.

Like many people, Carly Richardson, who plays Dorothy, and Goble grew up watching the movie version of "The Wizard of Oz."

"It's a story that everyone knows," Goble said. "It's like you always knew that Darth Vader was Luke's father."

But now, Richardson, Goble and a cast of about 50 people have to take the tale they grew up with and perform it in their own way.

"I know people want to see the classic Dorothy with a little of the actor's personality coming through," Richardson said. "Every time I read my lines, I try to think, 'How would I do this,' opposed to, 'How would Judy Garland read this?' "

This is the second time Richardson has played Dorothy.

"The first time was in college at Southern Utah University," Richardson said. "I'm trying to make it better this time by adding more expression."

To get into the character of the Scarecrow, Goble had to look at dancing in a new light.

"It's fun to explore the rough-and-tumble Scarecrow persona," Goble said. "The Scarecrow has no muscles, so you have to think, 'How would you dance if you were made of straw?' You have to bring yourself to the character and see what the character has you do. It's great to come at it in a not dumb but not too bright, fun way."

Together, Dorothy, the Scarecrow, the Tin Man and the Cowardly Lion travel through some of the most popular movie scenes.

"I love the scene when they are in the woods before they meet the lion, and they are saying, 'Lions and tigers and bears, oh my!' " Richardson said. "It's just one of those famous quotations that comes to mind when you think about 'The Wizard of Oz.' "

But Goble said the cast gets to put a different spin on scenes.

"I love when we are planning to break into the witch's castle," Goble said. "We come up with the idea to steal the guards' stuff."

In the original, the travelers steal the guards' armor to go into the castle in disguise.

"But the guards are (played by) little girls, and we are bigger men and don't quite fit in their costumes," Goble said . "It's a fun take on the scene."

Another different spin is using a live dog to play Toto. The dog is Cheeto, a 1-year-old terrier and Chihuahua mix.

"Talk about risky," Decker said. "But we thought, 'Let's give it a try.' "

Goble said having Cheeto enhances the scenes, especially when the script calls for Toto to bark at the witch or pull on a rope.

Even during rehearsals when the Wicked Witch of the West enters stage left, Cheeto began barking and growling.

"He never leaves my side," Richardson said, "which is good, except when I tell him to run and he wants to stay."

Cheeto also gets frightened by loud noises and needs to be calmed down.

"We don't know how he will react once he is surrounded by 2,500 people," Decker said. "So we have a stuffed Toto as a backup ready to go."

Decker found Cheeto at the Nevada SPCA. After the show is over, Cheeto is slated to be put up for adoption.

The production also is using video elements to enhance scenes and better tell the story.

Decker is excited for the production because of the environment the theater creates.

"It really brings people together," Decker said.

Richardson hopes people come watch Dorothy's journey once more.

"It's an amazing show," Richardson said. "We have children, flying monkeys, munchkins and a little dog, too."

For more information, visit hendersonlive.com.

Contact Henderson and Anthem View reporter Michael Lyle at mlyle@viewnews.com or 387-5201.

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