Normal West High School held multiple performances of its spring musical this past Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. Members of the school’s theater performed The Wizard of Oz for students, teachers, families, and members of the community who attended. The production was  directed by Ms. Marvin, head of the theater department, and Mr. Kerr, whose first musical at West this year’s was.

As many people know, the main characters of The Wizard of Oz are Dorothy, Scarecrow, Cowardly Lion, Tinman, the Wicked Witch, and Galinda. These characters were played by, in order, Sabrina Poston (12), Nathan Morissette (12), Andrew McAllister (12), Nick Koch (11), Ani Chalian (12), and Allyah Evans (12). Some of the minor characters included trees, munchkins, which were played by younger children, and even Toto the dog.

The play features many famous scenes and songs such as “We’re Off to See the Wizard” and “If I Only Had a Brain”. It also featured selections such as “The Jitterbug”, which is a deleted scene from the original movie.

Andrew McAllister, a senior, has been involved in theatre at school throughout junior high and high school and has been interested in performing since he was a child. He has had multiple lead roles in West’s productions throughout the years.

When asked what it means to him to be playing a main character in his final performance here at West, he said, “I’ve been lucky enough to have a lead role again this year and it has been a lot of fun. I’m glad that the last character I’ll play here is the Lion. I’ve gotten to play many different characters at West and I’m thankful for all of those opportunities that the directors have given me. I would be more than content being a part of the ensemble if it meant being able to participate in an event that I enjoy so much.”

Mr. Kerr, who co-directed the play with Mrs. Marvin, was overall very happy with his first musical experience here at West. “It was a really positive experience and a lot of very talented students and faculty helped pull together a great show,” he said. “It has compared really well to my experiences at other schools doing similar things.”

McAllister shared his favorite part of being involved in theater. He said, “My favorite part of being involved in the musical is the people. That’s always been my favorite part because they are all so much fun to be around and there is never a dull moment with them either.”

Nathan Morissette added, “The actual performance is my favorite part because preparing a lot of work and it takes so long, but performing for the first time is what makes it all worth it. That, and Andrew.”

Overall, The Wizard of Oz was popular among audience members. Ms. Marvin confirmed that “between the four performances, around 1200-1400 tickets were sold.” Months of preparation from the staff and students came together to form a successful show.