Taking the journey across the yellow brick road
Pic by Indika Handuwala
‘The Wiz’ is Asian International School’s (AIS) newest production.Directed under the guidance of Jerome L. de Silva, the production will take place at the Lionel Wendt theatre on February 11 and 12.
The school has geared itself up to put on an amazing performance that promises the audience a night full of fun and laughter. Aside from this, ‘The Wiz’ also comes along with a message, one that is often missed amidst the banter, as Jerome tells us.
We met up with Jerome at the AIS auditorium. With a smile he says, if there is a place where you find love, then that is home. Through the story of Dorothy, the lead role in the play, Jerome points out that, she was not very happy in her home, with her adopted parents. She wanted to live in the city and not the country. It is however, once she goes away, that she realises there is no other place like home. It is only then that she understands how much her aunt and uncle loved her.
“Home is where the heart is. And if there are people to love you, then that is home,” he says.
Jerome points out that, this is one universal theme, especially for orphan children and children, who aren’t happy with their step parents etc. They realise that if there’s love then, that’s a home.
Aside from this, the musical also brings out another strong message. This Jerome points out, is more or less a placebo effect.
“For anyone who thinks they’re not brave, they actually are. If they think they’re backward, they have the proper trait to be a normal person. You do have feelings even though sometimes people think, they lack these things, but they don’t, they’re just normal,” he says. And that is also a universal message in this, although people don’t really realise it in the play.
For example there’s the Tin Man, who was a woodcutter and owing to a faulty accident, and a spell that had been cast on him, is all metal now. He feels that he lacks a heart, so he goes looking for one. Then there’s the scarecrow, who has no brain. And then there’s the lion,who lacks courage. So they all go to the wizard of Oz, hoping to sort find a solution.
But during the process you realise the Tin Man actually, does have a heart, because he defends Dorothy in different situations and the lion does have courage and the scarecrow has a brain, because he speaks meaningful things and he thinks of solutions.
None of them however realise this. In the end the wizard himself is not a wizard, he is also someone who has come in with the storm and wants to go home. And he pretends to give them what they want.
Jerome. Pic by M.D. Nissanka
Managing the cast, which comprises, nearly a hundred kids between the ages of 9 and 17, is no easy task. Nevertheless the production team has found several ways to make it fun for the kids, whilst also making it an educational experience.
Jerome explains, the characters are such that they are quite charming for students to work on. “There are poppy fields, mice and the whole works. And all the students are doing more than one role, so that they’re exposed to so many characters, he tells me.Adding that, that’s the main thing, because it’s a teaching process, a learning process and it’s also a meditational process.
Musical theatre, gives one a whole theatre per se. This, because there is singing, dancing, acting and characterization. In addition there are various characters like animals, munchkins and fantasy characters, we are told.
“So it’s a nice educative process for students to embark on in their theatre journey,” he says.
Aside from this, the set is made out of recycled material. All the children spend their spare time collecting garbage and recycling it. This is because proper disposal of garbage is part of the school curriculum, Jerome tells me.
“So we’re using all the excess plastic bottles etc and that’s another educational process for them.” The school had picked ‘The Wiz, because they felt it was a fun packed musical. It is based on the original ‘Wizard of Oz’, about Dorothy and her adventures. Early on there were so many different renditions of the play, which included the film produced by Motown and also the Broadway version.
Its original cast featured some of the industry’s greats such as Diana Ross, Michael Jackson, and Richard Pryor etc. Jerome’s guidance has, however adapted the play to perfectly suite a cast of children.
“We only got a script and there’s the film that was made. But I’m adapting it totally to suit them,” he says. “We have the ‘Aneh’s’, the Aiyo’sand the Apo’s that come and there’s a little bit of funny political situations, that you can laugh at too,” he adds.
The audience can expect a magical production that is completely different.