Editor’s Note: Spoilers ahead. Review discusses substance abuse, sexual assault and domestic violence.
“The Wizer of Odds” is a more modern and diverse take on “The Wizard of Oz” with a genuine human interest.
This was one of the best plays I have seen — it modifies “The Wizard of Oz” into something watchable. The original movie adaptation of the book did not do it for me; it felt way too long. While this adaptation is longer, it deals with sensitive topics everyone can relate to, such as addiction and relationship problems. It puts these issues into a context that can connect with the audience in an impactful manner.
The opening of this play was incredible; it was a musical-style introduction to the cast and a preview of the plot. The story follows Camile, who lives with her grandmother in Oklahoma. Camile has a couple of friends, Tiny and Stephanie, who support her in her aspirations to move to New York City, which so happens to be where her mother resides. Recently, Camile and her mother had been reconnecting after not having a proper relationship due to her mother abandoning her, and her grandmother tries to talk Camile out of going because her mother is a deadbeat. The scene ends with Camile wanting corn dogs, and her grandmother says, “I’m from the South, I don’t know how to make corn dogs, you better get these Cheez-Its.”
Camile does not follow her grandmother’s wisdom and decides to go to New York City with Tiny and Stephanie. Along the way, they run into car trouble and they get hit on by a couple of mechanics. This scene, despite portraying stereotypes, also demonstrates a sense of humor. The mechanics have some funny dialogue, which adds to their characters and makes them a memorable part of the story.
Once Camile and company arrive in New York City, they come to find out Camile’s mother is still a deadbeat. Her mother calls Tiny and Stephanie a dirty name while sitting on the couch, smoking the devil’s lettuce. Eventually, they all decide to go out and have a good time. Camile’s mother is more wild than Tiny and Stephanie combined, and they are plenty wild. As if Camile’s mother was not wild enough, she decides to spike Camile’s drink and stage a sexual assault on her. This was one of the most shocking moments in the entire play, as it added a bold angle to the play that I do not think many other playwrights would have taken. The plan gets foiled by Oz, the owner of the club. Tiny and Stephanie get kicked out by Camile’s mom, ending the girls’ trip early. Camile decides to run back to Oz for a home — a woman blindly chasing her dreams.
Oz is a very private person for what it is worth, he “works” long hours, a typical cheater habit. He is also very controlling. After intermission, the story progresses a few months ahead. Stephanie is back in New York because she found a romantic interest, and makes Camile aware of these issues with Oz. Camile brings them up and it turns into a physical altercation. It gets a little emotional because as an audience member, knowing what Camile has been through, she deserved better despite her being too ambitious at times. It is a key character trait of Camile and there is a lot to appreciate within that. Camile’s grandmother has to journey to New York to take Camile back to Oklahoma. It was a very emotional moment to know Camile was safe at last.
When she gets to Oklahoma, she takes care of some unfinished business and realizes there is no place like home. The main takeaway is people are always seeking something more and sometimes it is not worth it. It was very powerful after seeing Camile survive the city that never sleeps.
There was not one weird moment in this play; unlike the work it is based on. The way the play handled social issues and dynamics is superb — it takes a special writer to put this together like Gabrielle Patterson did. The casting was also to perfection. My only complaint is some of the props just did not do the story justice. I would love to see this adapted into an actual film, it was fantastic.
