Something ‘Wicked’ drops in on stage at the Center

Tom Titus

Many of the productions on the 2005-06 schedule of the Orange County

Performing Arts Center have quite a few miles on their odometers, but

the new season promises a “Wicked” finale with a highly touted new

show inspired by a classic 1939 movie musical.

“So much happened before Dorothy dropped in” is the catch line for

the advance publicity of “Wicked,” billed as the “untold story of the

witches of Oz” and ticketed for an Aug. 9 to 20 engagement in 2006.

The winner of three Tony awards, as well as a Grammy, it is based, of

course, on characters from “The Wizard of Oz” and focuses on the

early adventures of Glinda the Good Witch and her evil counterpart,

the green-hued Wicked Witch of the West.

The new season will open this October with the Tim Rice-Andrew

Lloyd Webber blockbuster “Evita,” tracing the rise and fall of Eva

Peron, first lady of Argentina in the early 1950s. Those who saw the

terrific Huntington Beach Academy for the Performing Arts version

earlier this year will want to compare that show to the touring

production, which will be in Costa Mesa from Oct. 4 to 16.

Julie Andrews got her start back in the early ‘50s with Sandy

Wilson’s romantic spoof of 1920s musicals, “The Boy Friend,” a

performance that propelled her into “My Fair Lady.” Now Andrews is in

the director’s chair for a revival of “The Boy Friend,” playing at

the Center from Dec. 20 through New Year’s Day.

The newest, and most unfamiliar, show of the Center’s season is

“Bombay Dreams,” described as a “dazzling spectacle set amid India’s

bustling film industry.” This splashy production with lavish sets and

exotic dance numbers arrives Feb. 21 and will play through March 5.

Remember “Doctor Doolittle?” Not the Eddie Murphy version, but the

oldie with Rex Harrison? This musical fantasy by Anthony Newley and

Leslie Bricusse about a veterinarian who can “talk to the animals”

will be in town from March 21 through April 2 with the animal designs

created by Michael Curry -- who did the beasts for “The Lion King.”

Another Rice-Webber musical from their earlier days -- which has

been getting quite a bit of play on local stages lately -- is “Joseph

and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat.”

The Biblically inspired saga will be back at the Center with

Broadway star Patrick Cassidy in the title role and “American Idol”

songstress Amy Adams as the narrator. It’ll run from July 11 to 23,

2006.

The Center also has announced a series of six productions for

young people, leading off with “Trout Fishing in America,” Oct. 14 to

16. It’s more about music than angling with songs offered in the

folk, blues, rock and reggae genres.

Seasoned playgoers will remember the hit song “Puff the Magic

Dragon” from the early 1960s.

Now this fanciful tale will come to life with marionettes, hand

puppets and live performers from Nov. 18 to 20. Two jugglers billed

as “The Gizmo Guys” will entertain from Jan. 27 to 29.

Puppetry returns from March 10 to 12 as the Center presents “The

Wolf and the Seven Little Goats,” featuring larger-than-life puppets.

Michael Cooper’s “Masked Marvels and Wondertales” will occupy the

Center from April 28 to 30.

A bonus option offered only to season subscribers is Dora the

Explorer Live in “Dora’s Pirate Adventure,” a musical voyage to

Treasure Island involving audience participation. This show will be

on stage from Nov. 2 to 6 of this year.

Prospective audience members may reserve tickets by phoning the

Center at (714) 556-2787 daily from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m., or by

contacting the showplace online at www.ocpac.org/broadway. Group

reservations are taken at (714) 755-0236.

* TOM TITUS reviews local theater for the Daily Pilot. His reviews

appear Fridays.