By Jon Bodell - Oct 10, 2017 | 2 comments

Maya Fabozzi, as Dorothy, sings to her dog Toto, played by Finn LaDue, in a production of "The Wizard of Oz." Courtesy of Community Players of Concord

Maya Fabozzi, as Dorothy, sings during a production of "The Wizard of Oz." The Community Players of Concord's Children's Theatre Project will present the play this Friday and Saturday at the Concord City Auditorium. Courtesy of Community Players of Concord

We all know the famous saying: “There’s no place like home, there’s no place like home, there’s no place like home.”

But this Friday and Saturday, there will be no place like the Concord City Auditorium.

That’s because the Community Players of Concord will open its 90th season with the timeless classic The Wizard of Oz, a production of the group’s award-winning Children’s Theatre Project.

More than 45 actors ages 8 to 17 will present the Young Performers’ Edition of the L. Frank Baum classic to audiences of all ages. All of your favorite characters, songs and scenes will be accounted for: Dorothy, singing “Over the Rainbow;” the Munchkins and Glinda; Scarecrow, Tin Man and the Cowardly Lion; Aunt Em and Uncle Henry; the Wicked Witch of the West, with her flying monkeys and Winkie Guards; and, of course, the Wizard of Oz himself – and Toto, too!

Songs such as “If I Only Had a Brain,” “Ding Dong! The Witch is Dead” and “We’re Off to See the Wizard” will have you tapping your feet and singing along all through the night.

This production will also feature some fairly high-tech elements. We dropped by during a set-building session back in July and learned about the projection screen that will be used in this play.

As the characters act out the scenes on stage, the backdrop behind them will be provided by a digital projector (and maybe even two at once), making scene and setting changes much faster, smoother and just cooler than the old-fashioned way of having people manually move and rearrange all kinds of clunky objects.

The play will include music and lyrics of the MGM motion picture score by Harold Arlen and E. Y. Harburg, with background music by Herbert Stothart. The production will be directed by Karen Braz, with help from music director Tony Bonjorno, choreographer Cristina White, and producers Barb Woodman and Steven Meier.

Tickets are available at communityplayersofconcord.org. Prices are $15 general admission ($13 if purchased before Wednesday). Show times are 7:30 p.m. Friday and 2 p.m. Saturday at the Concord City Auditorium.