Nova Scotians bring the Emerald City to Neptune Theatre
The Wizard of Oz returns to Fountain Hall for the holiday season
By: Mariana Luz and Barley Burns
After 15 years, The Wizard of Oz returned to the Neptune Theatre on Nov. 4, with Dartmouth native Henna Matharu leading audiences down the yellow brick road as Dorothy.
The musical, directed by Antigonish-born Michelle Langille, runs until Jan. 4.
For Matharu, The Wizard of Oz carries a particular nostalgia. Her first musical role was playing Dorothy in a Dartmouth community theatre production when she was eight.
“To be able to do this again in Halifax, very close to where I grew up, is very surreal,” says Matharu. “I feel very honoured and grateful to take inspiration from all the iterations of the character and make it my own. I’ve loved the whole process so far.”
The Wizard of Oz marks Langille’s directing debut at Neptune, though she’s been involved in other productions at the theatre, including acting in its 2010 staging of the same musical.
“[The Wizard of Oz] is a beautiful story that is timeless,” says Langille. “There’s something beautiful about the way this journey is so drenched in acceptance and love.”
Dorothy is Matharu’s first leading role in a professional production, and although she has played the character before, she says performing at Neptune has been a whole new experience.
“I’ve discovered a lot about myself as an actor and the way I like to do things,” she says. “It was a huge learning process for me.”
For Langille, directing a show with several unique elements — including flying actors, a live dog, a lift and a trap door — has come with a learning curve.
“Having to wrangle all of that, and be in charge of how it all manifests onstage, has definitely been a massive challenge, but also really exciting,” she says. “The team we’ve assembled, both on and offstage, have tackled it with an incredible amount of energy, enthusiasm and joy.”
The show is part of Neptune Theatre’s holiday season, which also features Dickens’ A Christmas Carol and Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, performed by Neptune’s Youth Performance Company.
