Finding the Tinman in the Wizard of Oz
Dolna Day School, Kolkata
Last night was the long-awaited night of the Dolna Day School’s production of the Wizard of Oz. My sister had managed to procure a ticket for me and I planned to meet a few of her friends at the show. When I first arrived and went into the auditorium, I saw my sister in the orchestra pit with most of the chorus. Jayanthi was dressed in a beautiful sari and all of the kids were in the uniform costumes the chorus had been assigned.
Jayanthi waved me over and re-introduced me to the kids as I stood looking down at them. Not sure if they’d know what it meant, I took the gamble and told them all to “break a leg.” I was pleased that I did when, as I said it, I noticed some of the students excitedly nudge one another and whisper a little. Sure enough, Jayanthi later confirmed for me that she had told them about the American practice of never saying “good luck” to actors, but rather “break a leg.” I was glad I had said that, confirming her stories about American traditions.
I took my seat, where Jayanthi and I had reserved spots for her friends, Aakash, and me, and settled in to sit through the (inevitable, interminable) speeches that precede any Indian function. If you don’t speak the language, and it’s your first function, you might imagine that the first person speaking is the actual speaker. Don’t be fooled – they’re probaby just introducing the speaker! Or, they might be presenting an award to someone who will then speak at length about how honored they are to receive the award. Eventually, it was time to begin the show.
No matter how many times you’ve seen The Wizard of Oz, until you’ve seen it performed with an Indian accent, you’ve not really experienced the show! Wow. Jayanthi had been joking and telling us about this in preparation, but it was a riot. Clearly, the kids had been coached to over-enunciate, since English isn’t the first language of everyone in the audience (or cast). Add to that the awesome accent and different speech rhythms and you have a new show. A wicked witch cackling AND side-to-side Indian-head-bobbing is a great combination!
Pelican flying by the Emerald City?
Plus, the lights and sound were Indian. By this, I mean, the sound system was turned on to the loudest possible level, and left there. The volume reached such a high decibel that, even with my ears plugged with my fingers, I could still hear the whispers of the kids behind stage who had forgotten to cover their mics while telling one another good luck before the show. The lights included laser pictures superimposed upon the projected images upon the back of the stage which were used as backdrops. When the characters when down the yellow brick road, for example, trees moved along the background to simulate motion. But – this is India – they were palm trees! Other random images occasionally appeared, such as a panther when the lion first appeared, butterflies, and (I believe), a pelican.
Like any true Indian production, Bollywood’s influence proved impossible to resist, and so there were some Indian Dance Breaks. The dance of the crows before the Scarecrow sange his song was choreographed like a scene from an Indian film. Check it out with this link. It’s only filmed with my phone, but you’ll get the idea.
The kids were all wonderful, especially considering how many changes the admin had given them, right up until the show. The leads were great, expressive and did a good job. The kids on stage all danced and looked great. All of the chorus, which performed from the orchestra pit was wonderful. My sister would stand to direct all of the kids for the chorus parts.
Jayanthi Conducts the Chorus
This will be Jayanthi’s last night working with the children and they are all clearly quite sorry to see her go. Here is a clip of the kids doing Over the Rainbow during the curtain call. Many of them came up to her after the show to say goodbye and tell her how much they would miss her. I am so proud of my little sister, and very glad I decided to stay to see the show.