The Jitterbug!

Last night I saw the latest musical production by Tohoku International School and this year, they performed "The Wizard of Oz"! (They also performed it a few years ago as well, but I missed that show.) 

I was considerably impressed by the performance of the Scarecrow, such that I noted to myself, she'll amount to something someday. Sure enough, it turns out she's from a fine pedigree of musicians, her pop is a pal and a local musician of  some acclaim. I also enjoyed Dorothy who emulated Judy Garland so well, that at times, I felt I could hear Judy's voice. And to that the adorable Toto and the rest of the spectacular cast and you've got one heckofa show!

I didn't take any photos of the show itself, I felt it wasn't my place to do so, since I don't have any kids of my own in the show. Except for the finale...

Here are some pics of cute little displays adorning the exterior of the production.

The absolute highlight of the production was their inclusion of a deleted scene from the movie. Here's what I'm talking about:

Watch that scratchy video for a peek at The Jitterbug which the entire cast boogied along to. I was SO impressed and delighted!

Speaking of which, here is a blurb written about the dance by Oz-scribe extraordinaire, Eric. 

"When it was first previewed in the summer of 1939, The Movie was nearly two hours in length, which some believed to be too long. So a number of scenes were shortened, and several dropped entirely, such as the return to the Emerald City after melting the Wicked Witch of the West (including a reprise of "Ding Dong the Witch is Dead"), an extended version of Ray Bolger's dance during "If I Only Had a Brain" (which was recovered complete in the 1980s), and a scene where the Wicked Witch really does turn the Tin Woodman into a beehive, complete with animated bees. Also cut was "The Jitterbug," an elaborate song-and-dance number that came right before the Winged Monkeys captured Dorothy and her friends in the Haunted Forest. It's still referred to in The Movie when the witch tells the monkeys, "I've sent a little insect on ahead to take the fight out of them!" No one is exactly sure why it was cut, since it took several weeks to choreograph, rehearse, and film, and cost quite a bit of money, but the best guess is that it was too lighthearted for the dramatic tension of the story at that point, and unlike the rest of the musical numbers, it was extraneous and didn't advance the plot. It was also felt that it would date the film, as "jitterbug" had already become slang for a hot dancer at that point, and the studio hoped the film would have long-lasting appeal, for at least ten years. (If only they'd known...) While the footage is now lost, Harold Arlen did take some home movies on the set during rehearsals, which have now been made available on television (the Ripley's Believe It or Not show on ABC in 1983 was the first public appearance of the entire film), video, and DVD. And numerous school and community theater productions have put "The Jitterbug" back into the story, either in its intended place in the Haunted Forest or as a replacement for the poppy field."

For any other Oz facts, check out the The Wonderful Wizard of Oz Website...

For those of you nearby, you have an hour before Curtain Call, so Ease on Down the Road to the Hirose Cultural Center and check it out. (Directions here if the link works.)

Oops, I forgot to mention, The WITCH WAS AWESOME!!