The cast of ‘Straight Outta Kansas’ comes together for a dance number.
Photo courtesy of Tom Russo
Montclair State University’s Players presented “Straight Outta Kansas” this past weekend, which is their own take on “The Wizard of Oz.”
For the most part, it follows the original story of “The Wizard of Oz,” but has modern music and tons of dancing as well. The fact that “Straight Outta Kansas” made its own version of “The Wizard of Oz” is what made the show very unique.
As someone who is a really huge fan of “The Wizard of Oz,” I honestly thought “Straight Outta Kansas” was so enjoyable. Everyone’s dancing was top-notch — the amount of effort and hard work from the entire cast was really noticeable in the performance.
The Cowardly Lion, Scarecrow, Tin Man and Dorothy star in this reimagination of “The Wizard of Oz.”
Photo courtesy of Tom Russo
In addition, I thought the music choices for the show were fantastic. A modern song would usually play after a dramatic scenario, and the song would fit that scenario perfectly. The fact that Players were able to incorporate modern songs into a show that is based on a movie released in the late 1930s is incredibly impressive in itself.
I also found the show very humorous. Even though there is not a whole lot of dialogue in the show, I still found myself laughing from time to time, particularly during the scenes with the lion. The scenes with the witch were well done, and I honestly thought everyone did a really great job overall.
I also applaud the directors of the show for being able to direct as well as be part of cast, showing off their dancing skills.
I expected the show to follow “The Wizard of Oz” beat by beat, and I am kind of glad that it didn’t, because it made for a very unique and different kind of show. I thought the show as a whole was just incredible — not once did I feel that the show dragged or went on for too long.
Everyone in Players should be proud that they were able to pull off such an excellent show. In the future, I am definitley excited to see the next event that Players presents.
