Musical

A Story of Melodies

Maleeha Mazen Khan

The grand set up of 'The Wizard of Oz'. Courtesy: Prajna Tasnuva Rubayyat

From March 15 to 17, 2011, the senior students of Scholastica presented their annual drama, L. Frank Baum's famous musical, “The Wizard of Oz.”. Every year, Scholastica presents a drama, either in Bengali or English. It was Sukumar Ray's “Hojoborolo” last year, and this year it was “The Wizard of Oz” taking the stage.

Courtesy: Prajna Tasnuva Rubayyat

“The Wizard of Oz” has a special place in the hearts of all children since its visual creation in the late 1930s. Dorothy, a girl who lives in the farm of Kansas, often dreams of going over the rainbow. Her dream takes a magical turn, as a tornado spins her away along with her house and her pet dog, Toto, to a distant land. They crash in the land of Munchkins where she meets the good witch of the North, who gives her the ruby slippers before she sets off for her journey to find the Wizard of Oz. As she and Toto proceed, they meet a scarecrow in search of a brain, a tin-man in search of a heart and a lion in search of bravery. They join Dorothy on her pursuit of finding the wizard who will give them all that they need.

Soon after the audience were seated, the show started and the school children, with their cheerful moves and songs, presented the magical world of Dorothy in “The Wizard of Oz”. With the help of effective lighting, the play seemed enchanting. Not to mention, the acting skills of the students proved their talents at a very young age. The actors had rehearsed for two months with the help of teachers and the alumni members, for what was a sure success.

Courtesy: Prajna Tasnuva Rubayyat

Ayman Arka Khondker, a former student said, “This is the first time I saw so many kids coming in from the same age. When we used to act, the older classes (class 8 and above) had less kids coming in. But now, students from class 9 are enthusiastic to act as well. I felt that most of them were tremendously talented and gifted with a lot of creativity. They explored much more within themselves, like the scarecrow and the tin man's intro dances -- which were spectacular. What the alumni association mostly did was help the young actors refine their own ideas.”

"It was a very original execution, with a new stage layout for which the audience was able to view the drama from three different angles. There's no doubt that these kids will get better as they go further in their acing endeavours. They surely have the potential to be considered great," says Tahmina Anika, the choreographer who was all cheers for the actors who worked with the best of sincerity. “They all wanted to dance. I auditioned around 25 children after the teachers had already auditioned and finally it came down to 13 dancers. But it was so difficult to cut anyone out. They were not afraid of trying out moves that were pretty difficult even for an experienced dancer. They all genuinely wanted to give in their very best. Hats off to them!”

Courtesy: Prajna Tasnuva Rubayyat

Antia Humaira, Farhat Anan, Fariha Tabassum, Mohammed Nafees Iqbal, Shadman Faiyaz, Ammar Amir, Wasfia Tabassum, Faiyaz Kabir, and Maisha Maliha did brilliantly as the main characters. And the other characters made the show all the more entertaining.

The most interesting part was how the change was portrayed in the three girls who played the role of Dorothy, all of who did equally well. The songs were sung brilliantly and completely in rhythm. It was, all in all, a great experience for the spectators. Everyone who was involved with the drama worked hard to make it a success, and it served its purpose in all three of the nights.