Like the stage manager in “Our Town,” author Frank Baum “stage manages” his story to keep the action brisk from scene to scene. Baum, played by Ray Fletcher, is a welcome and theatrical addition. In real life, Baum was an actor, traveling salesman, vaudeville manager and newspaperman; an authentic American gypsy. Swept to Oz on a cyclone, Dorothy (Kimberlee Lewis) joins with the Scarecrow (David Handley), Tin Man (Chris Dumont) and Cowardly Lion (Kathi Asquith) as she and Toto (Sara St.Clair) search for home and family.

“The Wonderful Wizard of Oz” celebrates the importance of mind, heart and courage when facing what is feared; the need to dream, to dare, to ride out storms; the joys of loving, laughing, crying, being lost and found.

Faithful to the original book, with witches, munchkins and winkies, Virginia Koste’s play creates a fresh framework for Oz. This is not a musical, nor the MGM movie version, rather, a near forgotten piece of great children’s literature that will be enjoyed by children and adults alike.

The performances will take place at Cumston Hall, 796 Maine St. Tickets are $12 for adults, and $10 for students and seniors. For more information, call 800-838-3006 or visit monmouthcommunityplayers.com.

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