Magic On Ice ‘Wizard Of Oz’ Skates Into Town For Holiday Shows
We’re off to see the Wizard. The wonderful “Wizard of Oz on Ice,” that is. And we don’t even have to go to the Emerald City for an audience with the Wiz, only as far as the Spokane Arena.
Continuing Spokane’s ice show tradition, which began with the Ice Capades, Kenneth Feld is bringing his production of “The Wizard of Oz on Ice” to town for a Christmas run of nine performances. Feld produced the Walt Disney on Ice programs seen here the past couple of years, and the Wizard looks to be every bit as spectacular as his previous efforts.
This is a $9 million production of the L. Frank Baum story which is best known from the classic 1939 movie. The intent of the ice show is to bring the movie to life and present it in three dimensions. Extra effort has been made to choreograph the production so it will play to all sides of the Arena, not just the center sections.
Speaking of choreography, the man responsible for coordinating the skaters’ moves is Robin Cousins, the 1980 British Olympic skating gold medalist and skating commentator for NBC and the BBC. Cousins’ talents also include singing - he’s done it with the BBC Symphony and in the traveling production of “Cats” - and as creative consultant for film and television productions, including “Beverly Hills 90210.”
There is plenty of talent involved in every aspect of this production. Vocal artist extraordinaire Bobby McFerrin provides all of the singing and speaking voices except Dorothy’s. That’s 53 witches, Munchkins, wizards, scarecrows, tin men, lions, tigers and bears. Oh my. McFerrin even does the little dog, too.
Laurnea Wilkerson, who has appeared in the Broadway production of “The Wiz,” provides Dorothy’s voice.
Dorothy is skated by Jeri Campbell, a Michigan native who was a member of the U.S. international team for five years. After turning pro, she won two gold medals in the 1994 Dorothy Hamill Crown. She worked with Cousins to create Dorothy’s role on ice and has been skating the part since the show’s first performance in September of 1995.
Before auditioning, Campbell worried about taking on a role that everyone knows by heart. “Everybody in the world has seen the movie 30 million times,” she said in a phone interview. “But they made a whole new soundtrack and it’s not Judy Garland’s voice. It reminds you of Judy Garland, but it’s different, so it allows me to be a little different from the original, too.
“It’s very much like the original, but it’s fresh. It’s nice seeing something a little different. But don’t worry, if you’re a Wizard fan, you won’t be disappointed.”
While working with animals can be tough, Campbell said it was the best part of doing the show. “I love working with the dogs,” she said. “They do lots of tricks and usually steal the show, but that’s OK.
“There are five Totos in the show. Three are trained to follow me, and two are trained to follow my understudy. They are cairn terriers, just like in the movie. We get to spend a lot of time together off the ice, too. It’s like having pets on the road.”
While everyone has certain expectations for Oz and Munchkinland, certain things have to be modified for a live presentation. For a movie, cameras can move around to make it look like houses are tossed by a twister, but it’s harder to stage. The house in this production is a vehicle that can move around the ice and be raised 14 feet. The Wicked Witch of the West (the original WWW, Dot) flies with the aid of a skeleton gondola.
Another departure from the movie is the inclusion of a jitterbug number. The music and dance were rehearsed for the original movie, but cut for mood and length before the film was released. Actually, the movie producers considered cutting “Somewhere Over the Rainbow” because they thought it was inappropriate to have Judy Garland singing in a barnyard. Go figure. So the jitterbug adds a dance segment and variety to the ice show, and you can judge for yourself.
With the budget and quality Feld puts into these projects, this is bound to be a magical family experience. So put on your red shoes, close your eyes and repeat after me, “There’s no place like home, there’s no place like home, there’s no place like home for the holidays.”
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MEMO: This sidebar appeared with the story: Ice show “The Wizard of Oz on Ice” will be presented Wednesday through Dec. 29 at the Spokane Arena. Showtimes are 7:30 p.m. Wednesday and Dec. 26; 2 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. Dec. 27; noon, 3:30 and 7:30 p.m. Dec. 28; and 1:30 and 5:30 p.m. Dec. 29. Tickets are $11.50, $14.50 and $16.50 and $22.50, available at G&B Select-a-Seat outlets or call (800) 325-SEAT. Tickets to Wednesday’s performance available only at Tidyman’s.