Off to see the Wizard

​If you’ve watched “The Wizard of Oz” on TV or DVD a hundred times – and who hasn’t? – then you’ll feel right at home with Moonlight Stage Production’s musical, originally adapted for the Royal Shakespeare Company. It’s practically note-for-note and line-for-line, which is a double-edged sword. Fans of the film, young and old, will feel like they’re watching their favorite movie live and in person. But with the familiarity comes a lack of surprises (not to mention the lack of Judy Garland).
            There is one bonus in this musical adaptation: the inclusion of a song-and-dance number that was cut from the motion picture. “The Jitterbug,” presented early in Act 2, finds Dorothy, the Scarecrow, the Tin Man and the Cowardly Lion singing and jitterbugging in the dark forest on the way to the Wicked Witch of the West’s castle. This song is no “Over the Rainbow,” but at least it’s something different from the film we all know so well.
            The Moonlight production also offers faithful orchestration (conducted by Elan McMahan) of the Harold Arlen-E.Y. Harburg film score, along with additional background music by Herbert Stothart, and lively choreography by Roger Castellano, who also directs. Randall Dodge rocks as the Cowardly Lion, though Carlin Castellano appears too mature to be a believable Dorothy, and Danette Holland merely channels Margaret Hamilton as the Witch.
            The Wizard of Oz  runs through Aug. 10 at the Moonlight Amphitheatre in Vista. $15-$50. Moonlightstage.com
            Just got around to seeing Intrepid Shakespeare Company’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream, The Musical. It’s a refreshing take on The Bard’s whimsical comedy, with actors belting out ‘50s and ‘60s pop songs in between the iambic pentameter. Kevin Hafso-Koppman is a superb Puck, and David McBean and Jacquelyn Ritz (as Oberon/Theseus and Titania/Hippolyta) duet with feeling and verve, as on the Turtles’ “Happy Together.” Phil Johnson (as Bottom) fronts the play’s hapless amateur-acting troupe, conceived here as a doo-wop outfit.
            A Midsummer Night’s Dream, The Musical may be the most unusual show you see this summer. It could be the most memorable, too.
            A Midsummer Night’s Dream The Musical  runs through Aug. 18 at the Performing Arts Center on the campus of San Dieguito Academy in Encinitas. $15-$35. Intrepidshakespeare.com