Frame of
Mind p. 15
12
Music | 13 Art | 15
Volume 3, Issue 4 • Feb. 18-Mar. 3, 2011 • San Diego Uptown News
On the yellow brick road with
the Great Oz San Diego Uptown News chats with the powerful, all-knowing wizard regard- ing his latest adventure
By Charlene Baldridge SDUN Theatre Critic
In 1900, a jack-of-all-trades named L. Frank Baum (not at all unlike his title character) pub- lished a children’s book titled “The Wonderful Wizard of Oz.” In 1902, the enterprising Baum, who went on to write numerous sequels, enlisted composer Paul Tietjens and with him wrote a musical that played Broadway in 1903-1904. In fact, “The Wizard of Oz” that plays San Diego’s Civic Theater until Feb. 20 courtesy of Broad- way/San Diego, a Nederlander Presentation, is billed as “the greatest family musical of all time,” has never played Broadway. This production is based on the Royal Shakespeare Company’s 1988
“THE WIZARD
OF OZ” WHEN: Plays until Feb. 20
WHERE: San Diego Civic Theatre, 3rd and B Street, Downtown,
COST: Ticket prices vary, for more information visit
broadwaysd.com/ thewizardofoz.php or call 570-1100.
“celebration of the 1939 MGM musical,” with music by composer Harold Arlen and lyricist Y.A. Harburg. This “Wizard” hews closely to the iconic, award-winning 1939 Judy Garland film, with such un- forgettable characters as Dorothy,
(l to r) Andrew Haserlat, Kate Bristol, Jesse Coleman and Beau Hutchings star in Balboa Theatre’s production of the “Wizard of Oz.” (Photo by TMI Touring Company)
her dog Toto, Glinda the Good Witch, the Cowardly Lion, the Tin Man and the Scarecrow. Included are memorable songs such as “Over the Rainbow,” “Ding Dong the Witch Is Dead,” and “If I Only Had a Brain.” Twelve San Diego children portray the Munchkins. Viewers can decide for them- selves about the title character,
known as Professor Marvel/The Wizard of Oz, portrayed by Robert John Biedermann, a veteran of 32 years “on the Yellow Brick Road.” He has performed Lazar Berman in “Fiddler on the Roof,” Herr Schultz in “Cabaret,” and Officer Krupke in “West Side Story.” Now, as he said, he’s graduated to a title character. Raised all over the world as
a “Navy brat,” Biedermann got a late start in show biz. A Viet- nam veteran, he was 28 when he auditioned for a spot as a chorus boy in a dinner theater production of “Mame.” He gave up his day job and never looked back.
“I’ve been working ever since,” he said of his rewarding career. Biedermann believes that the
Wizard of Oz—who sends Dorothy and her friends off on a wild goose chase, promising he’ll return her to Kansas if she kills the Wicked Witch—is not a bad man. “He’s a comedic figure, in the sense that he’s a nice old man who is past his prime and is still trying to work magic. His sleight of hand is not very good, but he can still fool a child. I approach the role with the children in mind. No one leaves disappointed.” Highlights of his career? “Sometimes I wonder,” he said, “whether the highlights are on stage or off. I’ve done about 135 productions, and I remember them all. Just recently, I ran into some- body I did ‘Barnum’ with almost 25 years ago. When we saw each oth- er, we simultaneously remembered what we did, even though we’ve changed a lot. It’s like everything is waiting to continue, like a script that sits on a shelf for awhile.”u
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