The Wizard of Oz was an elaborate school play directed by Mrs. Norton, based on a film adaption of the 1900 book by L. Frank Baum book The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. Mrs. Norton chose to stay faithful to the original story by keeping Dorothy Gale's magic shoes silver like in the book instead of the iconic Ruby Slippers from the 1939 film adaption.
History[]
Diary of a Wimpy Kid[]
After arriving back home from Larry Mack Junior Middle School, Susan Heffley came to Greg with a flyer about the play. Greg didn't want to audition because he didn't want to sing in front of everyone however, he ultimately was forced to do so.
At the audition, some students were wearing costumes for the parts that they hoped to get and Greg, who had never seen the movie or read the book, described it as a freak show. Mrs. Norton made everyone sing "My Country 'Tis of Thee" in order to test their singing voices.
When Patty Farrell got the role of Dorothy Gale, Greg considered being the witch, because he'd heard that she is antagonistic towards Dorothy. However, he decided against that role after finding out the possibility of becoming the good witch. Much to Greg's dismay, Mrs. Norton announced that all tryouts would get a part.[1]
A few days later, Mrs. Norton showed everyone the movie of The Wizard Of Oz (most likely the 1939 one), so that everyone would know the story. He then decided to be a Tree due to the fact that they don't have to sing and because they get to bean Dorothy with apples.
He signed up to be one, but when he came to the first rehearsal, he saw that the tree costumes had no arm holes, which to his dismay meant no apple throwing.
Rodney James as the shrub
Due to the fact that a great number of people tried out, there were not enough roles for everyone. So Mrs. Norton had to start making up characters, which led to some kids being given roles to replace background props. For example, Rodney James who had tried out to be the Tin Man became the Shrub.[2]
Eventually, Greg was given a speaking part. He had to say "Ouch." when Dorothy picked an apple off his branch. He thought Rodney James got the better deal being the Shrub because he was able to sneak a video game into his costume.[3]
Things weren't looking good as they get closer to their performance as no one had bothered to memorize their lines because they were too dependent on Mrs. Norton who would always stand next to the stage and whisper them to them. To add to the confusion, Miss Norton was continuously writing in new scenes and new characters.
Toto
She brought in a first-grader to play Dorothy's dog, Toto. Although, his mom wanted him to walk around on two-legs instead of all-fours, because she felt that would be too "degrading". To Greg, the worst part was that Mrs. Norton gave the Trees a song called We Three Trees, stating that everyone deserved a chance to sing. He thought it was the worst song ever written. At the end of the final rehearsal, Archie Kelly tripped over Rodney James and chipped his tooth because he couldn't stick his arms out to break his fall. So, they decided to give the trees arm holes for the performance.
Opening night came, and things didn't go so well. The play was supposed to start at 8.00, but it got delayed because Rodney James had stage fright. It finally started at around 8.30. Nobody could remember their lines just as Greg had expected, but Mrs. Norton kept things moving along with her piano. The first-grader who played Toto brought a stool and a pile of comic books onto the stage, ruining the whole "dog" effect. When the forest scene came, Greg and the other trees took their positions. When Manny Heffley shouted out "Bubby!". Greg did some quick ad-libbing and deflected the embarrassment to Archie. When the first few notes of We Three Trees were played, he felt his stomach jump.
Greg noticed his brother, Rodrick Heffley, was holding a video camera and recording. When the time came to start singing, Greg realized that if he didn't do so, Rodrick couldn't hold it against him. The other trees sang at first but when they began to suspect Greg was on to something, they stopped. Mrs. Norton then walked over to the stage and whispered the rest of the lyrics to them.
But the trees stood there for silently for a while. Patty Farrell, who was waiting to come onstage, started to glare at the Trees. Greg noticed this and threw an apple at her, leading to everyone on stage, including Toto joining in. One apple knocked Patty's glasses off, and broke one of the lenses. They had to shut down the play after that because Patty couldn't see without them.
After the play's events, people started to bully Archie Kelly because of his “Bubby” nickname that Greg had deflected towards him. Greg thinks this means he doesn't have to worry about the "Bubby" nickname anymore.[4][5]
Online[]
In contrast to the book, Greg saw the movie during a general assembly.[6] Unlike the book, no apples were thrown instead, the play uneventfully ended after Mrs. Norton finished playing her piano with silence from the audience. A photographer of the local newspaper also took a picture of the audience which included Rodrick in a tie.[7]
Known Performers[]
- Greg Heffley - Tree
- Patty Farrell - Dorothy
- Archie Kelly - Tree
- Rodney James - Bush
- D.J. Harold - Tree
- Toto
Appearances[]
- Diary of a Wimpy Kid (online)
- Diary of a Wimpy Kid
- Diary of a Wimpy Kid (film)
- Diary of a Wimpy Kid (2021 film) (mentioned)
Gallery[]
Online[]
Diary of a Wimpy Kid[]
References[]
- ↑ Diary of a Wimpy Kid (online), pages 310-313
- ↑ Diary of a Wimpy Kid (online), pages 329-332
- ↑ Diary of a Wimpy Kid (online), pages 337-338
- ↑ Diary of a Wimpy Kid, pages 95-114
- ↑ Diary of a Wimpy Kid (online), pages 356-372
- ↑ Diary of a Wimpy Kid (online), page 329
- ↑ Diary of a Wimpy Kid (online), pages 370-371
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