By Jacob Knipes
Local theatergoers may soon follow the Yellow Brick Road to this year’s Paramount Players summer musical. The company, partnering alongside Grace Congregational Church, will return for its third production with ; “The Wizard of Oz,” running from July 14-16 at the Paramount Theatre.
“We wanted a show that was something recognizable, that people would recognize as a show, because we are still trying to build the Paramount Players brand as a company,” said director Jeffrey Hull, returning to the company following his direction of “Shrek the Musical” last summer. “We also wanted to do something that was very much family oriented, so lots of people could bring their kids and families and try to, you know, increase the awareness of live theater in Rutland.”
The Paramount Players first made its debut in Rutland with their production of “Mamma Mia” in 2019. “Shrek the Musical” was originally slated to follow in the summer of 2020, but the Covid-19 pandemic had other plans for the company and “Shrek” was finally brought to the stage last year. One consistent part of each production has been show producer Diane Liccardi, who has helped oversee the development of the Paramount Players.
“Well, from my perspective, each show, they’re all different, but each one gets easier and the Paramount Players banner gets more recognition,” Liccardi said. “Now the more we do it, the more people look forward to asking, not just me but around, ‘so what’s the summer show?’… And that happens every year. I think it’s going to grow that way.”
“The Wizard of Oz” follows the classic tale of Dorothy, a young Kansas girl who finds herself swept away to a strange new land by a tornado. Along her journey back home, she meets a strange cast of oddly familiar characters, and learns a thing or two about herself as well.
While the classic moments from the original film are retained in the stage version, Hull also stressed the differences that make the musical stand out.
“But at the same time, allowing for there to be new things happening that maybe the audience doesn’t expect to happen,” Hull said. “Allowing the characters to develop their own kind of version of those iconic characters, but still have a semblance of the movie version that people recognize while making it unique and different. So it’s not just watching the movie on stage, but it’s watching something that’s a little bit different and more exciting than that.”
The show will be performed at 7 p.m. on July 14, while matinees will be held at 2 p.m. on July 15 and 16.
More information can be found and tickets can be purchased on paramountvt.org.
