The Wizard of Oz Student Review
Sutton Fraley (‘26), Co-Editor in Chief
I had the pleasure of attending the opening night of Casady School's Wizard of Oz on Thursday, November 13th, 2025. This was one of Casady's largest productions with participation across grades 5th through 12th, totaling a cast of 67 students. After auditions in August, the cast and crew got straight to work, putting months of effort into the final product: an excellently executed, intricate, and nostalgic show.
Within the very first scene, my attention was captured by the show's precision. Sofia Dyer ('26), as the lead DorotFhy, was biblically accurate to Dorothy's voice and cadence. Her voice never strayed from the 1930s classical American girl accent while maintaining impeccable vibrato throughout each song. She immediately transported me back to the first time I heard Judy Garland's voice in the original film. Dyer never broke character, which made "Kansas"—the setting of relatively mundane events—engaging and truly come to life. Further, the set itself was intricate and never felt unoriginal, thanks to the constantly changing light spectacles run by Ms. Kortney McQuade. Although the set of Kansas was plain with few props and a black and white background, once the "twister" hit, the visual effects completely took over and created the illusion that the entire auditorium was inside of it, headed to Oz.
Once we all landed in Munchkin land, I was so pleased to see Stella Cruzan ('27) within a pink spotlight bubble, as Glinda the Good; I couldn't imagine a better fitting role for Cruzan after witnessing her talent as Elle Woods in last year's production of Legally Blonde. I have to admit, the middle schoolers as Munchkins could not have been cuter, and I was shocked by how well such young actors not only sang and delivered lines but also wowed the audience with their choreography capabilities. Each dance number was fantastic; no moves were repetitive, and the multitude of costumes made each one enthralling.
Dorothy's newfound friends in Oz — the Scarecrow (Austin Rindler '26), the Tin Man (Noah Rindler '28), and the Lion (Allison Burkhart '27) — were each hilarious and delightful to watch. When Dorothy first stumbles across Scarecrow on her journey along the yellow brick road, it took me more than a moment to realize it was Austin and not Scarecrow himself. Austin fully embodied his character with dramatic facial expressions, seemingly limp straw-stuffed limbs, and flamboyant choreography. His endurance was impressive, jumping and tumbling all over the stage while singing. His brother, Noah, was no less entertaining. He never broke out of tin-like movements and was rigid in a way that must have been difficult to sustain. What I loved most about the Tin Man, however, was his tap dancing. Tap dancing is no easy feat, especially while remaining stiff in character, but Noah executed his tap solos flawlessly and left the audience in awe.
The Rindler brothers definitely captured everyone's attention with their skill and obvious acting experience, but I believe Burkhart won over everyone's hearts with her wit. Lion's liners had the audience cackling more than anything, and Burkhart's top vocals and attitude only added to her character's appeal. Specifically, I loved Lion’s inspirational song about courage and how she intimately connected with the audience.
A standout scene from the entire musical was the Jitterbug. The Jitterbug is a song that was not featured in the original Wizard of Oz movie, and pleasantly surprised me. The choreography was all over the place, back and forth, and almost overwhelming; Yet this was the desired effect of the entire scene, and was executed well. More shocking than the silver-bugeyed dancers, Dyer had a chaotic jazz-style scat that seemed to flow naturally, even though it was a complete 180 from her original vocal style.
Overall, The Wizard of Oz was a complete success. I loved each character and each dance scene. The tech in the show was just as impressive as the actors and vocals. I cannot wait to see what Casady's theater department does next, in their spring play, Macbeth.
