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Seton Hall’s Theatre program debuts its first performance of the semester, “The Wizard of Wonderland” during Seton Hall weekend on October 2, 3 and 4.
The play, originally written by Joseph Robinette, combines “The Wizard of Oz” and “Alice in Wonderland” to produce a story in which Dorothy, Alice and many other characters meet.
Chad Navarro, a junior nursing major, who plays one of the leading roles describes the show as one big crazy dream.
Navarro’s character, Judson, falls asleep while simultaneously writing a book report on “Alice in Wonderland” and watching “The Wizard of Oz.” This results in an imaginative reworking of the two stories in which none of the plots are finished because Judson has not completed either the book or the movie.
Danielle Gruskiewicz, a senior theatre major will be directing the play. According to Gruskiewicz, she was initially drawn to this production because of its originality. “I chose it because I love the classic stories and I thought this was a fun twist,” Gruskiewicz said. The University Day shows have a tradition of being aimed towards children, last year was “Stuart Little” so it was natural for her to find a suitable show for all ages.
Gruskiewicz said she hopes to have a good turnout this year and that everyone just has fun especially since it is her first time directing at Seton Hall.
“There are some adult jokes that I think Seton Hall students can appreciate so I think all ages can enjoy it,” Gruskiewicz said.
With a small cast of only 11, the crew has the ability to form genuine chemistry before the opening night. The show features a lot of first-time performers at SHU which includes Anna Carpenter, a freshman music and theatre major, Michael MacRae, a freshman business major and Tess Borsecnik, a freshman theatre major.
Carpenter, who plays Dorothy, said it’s a great first show to do because it offers them the opportunity to play with each other’s comfort levels.
MacRae, who plays the white rabbit, expects the show, although only 50 minutes, to be a good transition into other theatre opportunities.
“We’ve already met so many interesting people and it’s really fun to watch your friends on stage,” MacRae said.
Mackenzie Scibetta can be reached at mackenzie.scibetta@student.shu.edu
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