See ‘The Wizard of Oz’ at Palmdale Playhouse this weekend

The show starts at 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday, March 4 and 5, and at 2 p.m. Sunday, March 6, at the Playhouse, located at 38334 10th Street East in Palmdale,
Musical favorites will include “Over The Rainbow,””Munchkinland-Ding Dong! The Witch Is Dead,” “We’re Off To See the Wizard,” and “The Merry Old Land Of Oz.”

“Come join us and travel the universe of Dorothy’s imagination on her journey with the Scarecrow, Tin Man, Cowardly Lion and Toto to the land of Oz,” said Palmdale’s Recreation Supervisor Annie M. Pagliaro.

The cast principals include Elizabeth Aguilar as Dorothy, Catherine Conterno as Aunt Em and Glinda, Michael Vernetti as Uncle Henry and the guard, Mike Pemberton as Zeke and the Cowardly Lion, Travis Melrose as Hickory and the Tin Man; Shea Dittman as Hunk and the Scarecrow; Lynda Larson as Ms. Gulch and the Witch, and David Holloway as Professor Marvel and Oz.      

Rescue dog stars as Toto!

Starring as Toto is Winkie, the pet dog of director Clare Durand and a former rescue pet.

“When you do the Wizard of Oz, you have a Toto and there are a couple different approaches you can take,” Durand explained. “I’ve heard of productions that used puppets. We also talked about making a little dog robot or something like that. But it was always preferred that we have a live dog.”

“My husband and I had been thinking about getting a dog after the one we had died about a year ago. So we went to the shelter and looked at a lot of different terriers. We found  ‘Winkie,’ brought him home and started training him for the show,” said Durand.

But would a rescue dog make it on stage?

“We thought if he’s trainable, it’ll be great for the show,” Durand noted. “If not, we’ve got a great new addition to the family and we will have given a dog in need a home.”

Tickets are $20 for adults, and $15 for students, seniors, military and children 12 and under.

Tickets for all Palmdale Playhouse events may be purchased online at www.cityofpalmdale.org/playhouse, or at the Box Office beginning two hours before each show, at 38334 10th Street East. For more information, call 661-267-5684.

[Information via news release from the city of Palmdale.]

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