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HARLINGEN — Lauren Elliot loves being ornery.
She loves being loud, threatening, audacious, and that’s why she’s playing “The Wicked Witch of the West.”
She’ll demonstrate here talent for that role when a musical version of “Wizard of Oz” opens Thursday at the Harlingen Performing Arts Center.
“See that she gets it!” and then a shrieking laugh as Lauren, 12, shoots her arm out like a harpoon and then pulls it back and stomps away.
Harlingen middle school students have spent many long days and weeks honing their performances of the Young Performers Edition of the “Wizard of Oz;” their dedication fully reveals itself in the vitality and the emotional agility of their performance. There’s the gleeful conversations and then the dark forebodings of a witch threatening the journey of Dorothy and her friends to see the Wizard of Oz.
“I’m not afraid of a witch! I’m not afraid of anything, except a lighted match,” says Camila Rohrbough, 13, as the scarecrow, speaking eagerly with Dorothy played by Vesper Garza, 12.
“Wanna take me with you?” says Camila the Scarecrow.
“Of course I will,” said Vesper as Dorothy.
And then they lock arms and dance across the stage singing, “We’re off to see the wizard, the wonderful Wizard of Oz.”
The piece is coming together very well, says Natalia Garza, music director and co-director.
“I think they are doing great,” Garza says. “I am very excited for opening night.”
Opening night is next Thursday at 7 p.m. at the Performing Arts Center.
The kids have all shown a deep connection with their characters.
“Scarecrow just really wants to find his brain,” says Camila, an eighth grader at Gutierrez Middle School of Arts and Sciences.
“He thinks he doesn’t have a brain, he downplays himself, even though he’s so smart,” Camila said. “I think that I love my cast and the directors and I’m so glad that this production has come together so nicely.”
For Vesper, this “Wizard of Oz” production is a second run.
“I’d actually played this in Summer on Stage when I was in fourth grade,” said Vesper, who is now a seventh grader at Gutierrez.
“This made me want to relive the memories,” Vesper said. “I’ve always loved the show. It’s been a fun and long journey.”
