Review- A Scarecrow in Oz

(From left to right) Joseph Johnson, Laural Tannehhill, and Drew May pose in costume for a group photo between showings. 

In the classic story “The Wizard of Oz,” our hero Dorothy stumbles upon a living scarecrow hanging in a random field along the yellow brick road. No explanation was ever given, in that story or others in the series written after it, as to how he got up there. Until now, courtesy of LBCC’s theater group!

On February 6th, the magic of Oz came to LBCC as children from three local elementary schools flocked into the Russell Tripp Center to see this year’s Annual Children’s Play. The play was “A Scarecrow in Oz,” an original production written by members of the LBCC drama club and directed by theater faculty Dan Stone, telling the origin story of the beloved brainless scarecrow.

Once everyone was seated, event coordinator Michael Winder greeted the crowd and explained the rules of the theater through jokes, such as warning them to not leave with the wrong group lest they mistakenly end up with the wrong family, who’ll make them dress up in ridiculous pirate outfits. Yes, that makes exactly as much sense in context. He also asked how many of them had read the book beforehand; about two-thirds raised their hands. 

After Winder was done came the play itself. Most of the cast functioned as a sort of Greek choir that moved parts of the set around, as well as a narrator (Korina Rayburn) who walked around on stage singing a beautiful song about what was going on in the plot. 

Members of the cast and crew prepare for the dress rehearsal that took place on Thursday, Feb. 6th.
The boxes being set up on stage were the key props used for the play; the background cast members would move and manipulate them throughout a scene to create the setting; a bridge leading to Mombi's castle, the interior of the Munchkin home, etc. A single box could be used as a chair, a table with a detached scarecrow head, or even be moved around to make a fireplace, depending on the scene.

The plot opens with a pair of Munchkins, the witch-terrorized group from the original story. The Munchkins were cursed after a failed revolution against the Wicked Witch of the East, and were left unable to have children. The pair of Munchkins in question, Maize (played by Laural Tannehill) and Cornelius (Joseph Johnson), are a married couple working on a corn farm who very much wish to have a child. 

Lacking other options, the two of them decide to leave Munchkin-land to seek out another witch who is rumored to possess a magic capable of creating life. This witch, Mombi (Rianda Linebarger), lives north of the East Witch’s territory, through the enchanted poppy fields and a cursed forest. After a brief yet harrowing journey, they reach Mombi’s abandoned castle and successfully make a bargain for her magic: she gives them an enchanted silvery paint, which they can use to create the child they desire, but they must use it ONLY ONCE!

Returning home, they start gathering up some old clothes, a burlap sack, and a lot of straw. They put all of these together in the shape of a person, and painted a face on it. That’s when the real fun started.

The cast delivered their lines like a preschool teacher reading a storybook to their class, in the best way possible. Lines were spoken in an engaging manner that kept the audience’s attention throughout. The children also got a lot of laughs out of many choice scenes. They really enjoyed all the scenes with the scarecrow, named Cornwall by his parents, such as him learning to walk, learning about farming, and having a birthday party. This was thanks in no small part to the perfectly conveyed sense of child-like innocence his actor, Drew May, brought to the role. 

As for Mombi, she was easily a crowd favorite with her high-pitched, over the top delivery and her tendency to go off on long, rambling tangents. It won’t surprise anyone that she returns later in the play, and the way they decided to have her return to the stage made all the children in the audience completely lose it!

In this scene from the play, the naive Scarecrow receives a visit from the pet bird of Mombi. The individual pictured in the background is non-diagetic; he's there to physically maneuver the bird and provide a place for it to perch.

At a Glance:

WHAT: “A Scarecrow in Oz”

WHEN: Showtimes were Saturday, February 8 and Saturday, February 15, from 2 to 3 p.m. 

WHERE: The Russell Tripp Performance Center at LBCC’s Albany campus, 6500 Pacific Blvd. SW

ABOUT: Play runs for about 45 minutes

Starring: Laural Tannehill as Maize, Joseph Johnson as Cornelius, and Drew May as Cornwall. Other cast members include: Falyn Lazarus, Sarcon Majors, Shayanne Bolton, Sophia Brown, Korina Rayburn as the singing narrator and lyricist, and Rianda Linebarger as Mombi