Pictured: Wantagh Middle School actors rehearse for their upcoming production of “The Wizard of Oz” from March 1-3.
Photos courtesy of the Wantagh School District
There’s a tornado, some witches and a yellow brick road. Yes, it’s “The Wizard of Oz” and it’s the annual spring musical for Wantagh Middle School, with four performances scheduled for the first weekend of March.
A cast of 59 student-actors have been rehearsing for weeks to prepare for the show which is based on the well-known movie from 1939. Seventh grader Emily McHale plays the lead role of Dorothy. Giada Petrillo, Luke Rose and Lucas Iacona are the Scarecrow, the Tin Man and the Cowardly Lion, respectively, with Kate Stivali playing the Good Witch and Angelina DiTroia portraying the Wicked Witch. Anthony Del Corvo is Dorothy’s local canine companion, Toto.
Lead actors include, from left, Luke Rose, Lucas Iacona, Giada Petrillo, Emily McHale, Angelina DiTroia and Kate Stivali.
The show will feature noted musical numbers such as “Over the Rainbow,” “Yellow Brick Road” and “Munchkinland,” but also includes “Jitterbug,” a song that was cut from the movie. The young actors believe this will be a stand-out scene in their show with a great combination of singing and dancing.
“The audience will get something new because it isn’t in the original classic,” said Giada, a seventh grader.
Angelina, an eighth grader, said the cast is extremely committed to making “The Wizard of Oz” a great show. She is glad to be doing an uplifting show for her final middle school performance.
“I’m looking forward to bringing joy to everyone in the audience,” Angelina said. “It shares a good message and has good role models for younger viewers.”
Dorothy, portrayed by Emily McHale, and Toto, played by Anthony Del Corvo, are well-known characters from the 1939 movie-turned-musical.
The show is directed by Kristin Piciullo with support from choreographer Dr. Kim Davis, vocal director Sameerah Cassidy, set builder Austin Costello and high school production assistants Alyssa Alexander, Lianna Menegalli and Riley Smith.
“Every single actor and actress in this show are so talented,” Ms. Piciullo said. “They work so hard. Everybody gets drawn in when it’s a recognizable show. It’s very hard to find somebody who doesn’t know ‘The Wizard of Oz.’”
Show times are Friday, March 1 at 7 p.m., Saturday, March 2 and 1 p.m. and 7 p.m., and Sunday, March 3 at 1 p.m. in the Wantagh High School auditorium. Tickets are $15 for adults and $12 for students and senior citizens and can be purchased online at seatyourself.biz/wantaghms.
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