St. Pius X Catholic High School will put on a production of “The Wizard of Oz” this weekend. People may not think of “The Wizard of Oz” as a musical, but Dennis Moore, the St. Pius speech, debate and theater coach, said there are several memorable songs in the production, which will be the school’s first musical in five years.
The shows are scheduled for 7 p.m. Friday and Saturday at the school, 1030 St. Pius Drive, in Crystal City. Tickets cost $5 and are only available at the door. First responders, veterans and children younger than 6 may attend for free.
Moore, who’s directing the show, said seating is first-come, first-served.
“I recommend people begin showing up 20 to 30 minutes before curtain,” he said.
Moore said people should be familiar with most, if not all, the songs.
“You have ‘Follow the Yellow Brick Road,’” he said. “You have ‘Jitterbug,’ which was not in the movie. There’s ‘Ding Dong! The Witch is Dead.’ And, you have ‘Somewhere Over the Rainbow,’ among others.”
Moore said his students have enjoyed rehearsing for the production.
“The kids are really excited,” he said. “We’ve been wanting to do a musical for a while. And, ‘The Wizard of Oz’ seems like a good way for St. Pius to get back into musicals.
“We have done a lot of plays since the last musical, just not a musical. I have really wanted to bring musicals back to St. Pius, but needed a production that was not too intense with its vocal requirements.
“Compared to other musicals, ‘Wizard of Oz’ has significantly less songs. I felt this was a good way to ease my students back into the process of putting on a musical.”
Moore said “The Wizard of Oz” story is well known and well loved.
“This musical is a classic, and the version we are producing follows closely with the original film,” Moore said. “All the major songs are there and a few others that did not make the 1939 film, such as ‘Jitterbug.’”
He said people of all ages should enjoy the shows.
“Our version is very kid friendly,” he said. “It’s the youth version. It’s about an hour-and-a-half show.
“I’ve had a few people ask me if the show is too scary for children. I can say with confidence that our version of ‘The Wizard of Oz’ is suitable for all ages.”
The featured cast includes seniors Falyn Barnett, Faith Sebastian, Lauren Hunt, Ramona Ruelas, Bailey Winkler, Parker Moreno and Adam Grissom; junior Drake Gottman; and freshman Brendan McEneny.
The chorus consists of Gottman, as well as junior Kelly Luebbers; sophomores Kryslyn Poley and Victoria Maypole; and freshmen Gemma Hill and Grant Reichardt.
Moore said he hopes the “The Wizard of Oz” production is the beginning of a trend for St. Pius holding regular musicals.
“Hopefully, we can keep this momentum going and continue performing musicals for our fall productions,” he said.