Fri 11/24-Sun 11/26
Thu 11/30-Sun 12/3
Not all theaters program something explicitly holiday-related to end the year (although you can find plenty of versions of A Christmas Carol). But many like to produce something family-friendly, with a warm nostalgic vibe. Hence Dobama will soon be opening its Little Women. And Near West Theatre is currently in the midst of a production of the beloved tale, The Wizard of Oz, based on the classic 1939 film.
In keeping with Near West’s mission of gathering large casts with a diverse range of ages, races, ethnicities, gender identities, socio-economic backgrounds and amounts of theatrical experience, the show features nearly 60 performers onstage, including dancers, pit singers and ensemble members. And the Wizard himself will be played by an artist who typically inhabits a different kind of performance: Shamus Dickenson, better known as Veranda L’Ni, Cleveland’s tallest drag queen, who hosts Near West’s Drag Queen Story Hours. He won’t be in drag but he’ll still be tall!
All Near West tickets are “pay what you can.” Go here to get them.
nearwesttheatre/the-wizard-of-oz