The allure of ROH's Wizard of Oz is truly magical; don't miss the magic!

Molly Scott as Dorothy, Brandon Foley as the Scarecrow, Marcus Provost as Tin Man and Kai Clifton as the Cowardly Lion (Courtesy)

For over 30 years The Wizard of Oz was an annual, beloved staple of network TV, but since 1991 when it stopped, it fell from our collective consciousness ... till now, when The Rochester Opera House has brushed off the cobwebs of this iconic musical and restored its brilliance to a brand new luster.
But what shocked me the most as my family watched the ROH production on Friday was that my daughter and six-year-old granddaughter, neither of whom had ever seen it, were laughing and loving the antics of the Scarecrow, Tin Man and Cowardly Lion just like I have for so many years.
Produced by Anthony Ejarque and directed by Jenry Towle, this dazzling fast-paced production will have you enthralled from beginning to end.
When intermission came, I turned to my daughter and said, "Boy that went fast!" That's how good it is.
The ROH production follows the original MGM score but for a "Jitterbug" number, in which Dorothy, Scarecrow, Tin Man and Cowardly Lion dance with the Winkies, the friendly, happy people of a region near the Emerald City.
In fact, MGM's 1939 film did have the up-beat musical dance number called "The Jitterbug" but the studio cut the number to shorten the film's run time.
According to Wikipedia, "The six minute-long (Jitterbug) sequence took five weeks to rehearse and film at a cost of $80,000 which today would be well over a million dollars.
This cast is collectively brilliant with Molly Scott as Dorothy, Brandon Foley as the Scarecrow, Marcus Provost as Tin Man and Kai Clifton as the Cowardly Lion.
Historically the Cowardly Lion grabs the most laughs in this joyful joyride of a musical, and Clifton will disappoint no one, trust me.
For those who've seen this beloved musical through the years, seeing it live on stage will do nothing less than warm the cockles of your heart.
And near the end of the play when the Tin Man is saying goodbye to Dorothy and says, ""I know I have a heart now ... because it's breaking," well it still gets me.
So grab your kids, grab your grandkids, grab one and all and go see this intergenerational gem.
It ends its run on Nov. 3.
For tickets click here.