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No Yellow Brick Road, But Kids Still Find 'Oz' Auditions

Tribune photo by MICHAEL SPOONEYBARGER

Abigail Shapiro, 8, performs with Entertainment Revue during auditions to be Munchkins in "The Wizard of Oz" at the Tampa Bay Performing Arts Center on Saturday. The kids will get a chance to play the part when a national tour comes to town Oct. 14-19.

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By VALERIE KALFRIN | The Tampa Tribune

Published: September 13, 2008

A Munchkin mindset takes practice.

It involves imagining oneself with a big belly, wild hair and curled shoes, perhaps eating special Munchkin cereal for breakfast, choreographer Leigh Constantine said Saturday, cocking her foot out to the side.

Constantine and the national tour of "The Wizard of Oz" swept into the Tampa Bay Performing Arts Center on Saturday to audition 110 children – mostly girls – to perform as Munchkins in the beloved musical at Carol Morsani Hall in October.

Munchkin hopeful Miranda Lough, 9, of New Port Richey, prepared by donning striped knee socks and watching "The Wizard of Oz" "10 trillion times!"

"We watched it five times last night," added Makenzie Muley, 10, of Lutz.

"I like the flying monkeys," said Arielle Glass, 12, of Lutz.

"I was Dorothy for Halloween," piped in Brie Chamberlin, 8, of Trinity.

Who doesn't know how Dorothy's house crushed the Wicked Witch of the East and freed the terrorized Munchkins? How Dorothy got those ruby slippers?

Everyone loves the ruby slippers. "Mine are that big now," said Nina Patrikis, 11, of Trinity, holding her thumb and forefinger about 2 inches apart. "They don't fit me anymore."

The national production wanted to involve children interested in the arts, said Gregory Vander Ploeg, the tour's general manager. So each stop on the 36-city tour will feature local children. To audition, children had to belong to a performance troupe. Each child received a free ticket to the show and a voucher for a free souvenir, with the option of a backstage tour.

Saturday's groups that auditioned were from Independent Day School in Carrollwood, Broadway Dancesations of Lutz, Jackie's Dance Theater in Plant City, Frank Rey Dance Studio in Tampa, Sell's Broadway Dance Company in New Port Richey, Graham Music Studio of Dade City, Karl & DiMarco School of Theatre and Dance in Tampa, and Entertainment Revue of Tampa.

Each had to learn the words to "Ding Dong, The Witch Is Dead" ahead of time. They ran through the tune about 50 times between 9 a.m. and noon to Constantine's choreography.

"It'll probably haunt me for weeks," chuckled Chamberlin's mother, Michele, 41, whose 10-year-old daughter, Ally, also auditioned.

Ding-dong, the witch is dead. Which old witch? The wicked witch! Ding-dong, the wicked witch is dead. …

They waved their hands over their heads. They bent at the waist with legs askew, then marched around in circles.

Wake up, you sleepyhead. Rub your eyes. Get out of bed. Wake up, the wicked witch is dead! She's gone where the goblins go: below, below, below, yo-ho! Let's open up and sing, and ring the bells out. …

They gave each other high-fives, crept around on their toes. They twirled and skipped.

Ding-dong, the merry-o. Sing it high. Sing it low. Let them know the wicked witch is dead!

Michele Chamberlin found the choreography so cute, she wasn't nervous.

"It's so nice to see the joy in their faces when they're performing and singing," she said.

Naomi Yabneh, 46, of Tampa, said she was surprised how anxious she was watching her 9-year-old daughter, Lily Shattenkirk. "It was really nerve-wracking. There was a lot of really good talent here."

The touring company evaluated each group on talent, coordination and personality. "All the Munchkins have big, crazy costumes, so that enthusiasm is very important," Vander Ploeg said.

In the end, they chose Entertainment Revue of Tampa, which erupted into squeals. "I'm gonna tell Daddy I'm gonna be on Broadway," Shattenkirk said.

Next stop, more rehearsals – and Munchkin clothes.

"I'm excited about the wardrobe," Kaitlin Foshee, 13, of Tampa said. "I want the pointy shoes."

Reporter Valerie Kalfrin can be reached at (813) 259-7800 or vkalfrin@tampatrib.com.

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