Sandy Creek

High School's drama department invites everyone to "ease on down

the road" this weekend - the yellow brick road that is. Sandy Creek

will present the Tony award-winning musical "The Wiz" Thursday

through Saturday.

Everyone involved

with the show has been having a blast as "The Wiz" takes the

familiar story of L. Frank Baum's "The Wonderful Wizard of Oz,"

and spices it up with some glitz, funk and soul from the 1970s. The musical

opened on Broadway on Jan. 5, 1975 and enjoyed 1,672 performances. It

was then made into a popular film starring Diana Ross, Michael Jackson,

Nipsey Russell and Richard Pryor among others.

"A lot

of people are familiar with the movie, but the musical is a little different,

featuring several songs that are not in the movie," said director

Kathy Anderson. "All of the directors of this show have really enjoyed

working with a different style of music, dancing and acting."

Though there

are several differences between "The Wizard of Oz" and "The

Wiz," the story is pretty much the same. A tornado takes Dorothy

to Oz, where she meets a scarecrow, a tin man and a cowardly lion. The

four friends journey to see the Wizard of Oz and try to avoid an evil

witch. Sandy Creek has a large cast and has double casted a majority of

the roles. Mari Ribeiro and Chardonnay Bunkley will share the role of

Dorothy, while Christy Justice and Lauren Miller will share the role of

Evilene. Erin Burnett and Jennifer Merrill will each play Scarecrow, Simon

Sharp and Shawn Smith will play Tin Man and Candice Griffin and Jessica

Merrill will play Glinda. Other members of the cast include Sara Norris

as Aunt Em, Tyran Weldon as Lion and Donovan Herring as The Wiz.

"The Wiz"

features such classic songs as "The Feeling We Once Had," "What

Would I Do If I Could Feel," "If You Believe" and, of course,

"Ease on Down the Road."

"The show

is very upbeat and flashy," said Anderson, who adds that the cast

and crew have had lots of opportunity for creative input and problem solving

as they have put the show together.

"The Wiz"

will run Thursday-Saturday at 7:30 p.m. Sandy Creek High School. Tickets

are $6 in advance or $8 at the door. Phone 770-969-2840 for more information.

Back

to the Top of the Page