The Papermill Playhouse in Millburn, New Jersey, has scored another potential monster hit with its presentation of "Chasing Rainbows: The Road to Oz", which presents the life of Judy Garland from her early days as a child hoofer and singer through her starring role as Dorothy in MGM's "The Wizard of Oz" at age 16. With a star-making performance by Ruby Rakos, the production hits all the right notes in terms of feel-good family entertainment, as evidenced by the enthusiastic ovation matinee presentation we attended. The show incorporates plenty of classic songs along with some bright new numbers by David Libby, with lyrics by Tina Marie Casemento. It's directed and choreographed at a brisk pace and considerable skill by Denis Jones. This year marks the 50th anniversary of Judy Garland's untimely death. Sadly, as with other legendary celebrities who died tragically before their time, the achievements of Garland's work on stage and in cinema inevitably become compromised by the clouded aspects of her personal life. The new, acclaimed big screen biography dwells on these aspects of her life and career. "Chasing Rainbows", however, deftly avoids this pitfall by concentrating only on her early days as a rising star for MGM. Thus, a more upbeat experience for the audience is ensured, which is probably why Liza Minnelli has enthusiastically endorsed the production.
The story begins with young Judy already in show business as part of family act, performing with her mother and father and her two sisters. The sisters ultimately formed a trio known as The Gumm Sisters (Garland's birth name was Frances Ethel Gumm.) The family struggles financially but her perpetually upbeat parents are determined to find success for the family in show business, thus they head off to Hollywood. Things look grim until Garland lands a contract at MGM, then firmly under the dictatorial control of Louis B. Mayer. She goes through the usual ritual of the era that contract players were subjected to as they are trained to sing, act and dance. Garland, however, is routinely denied promising roles because she is deemed to be unattractive and pudgy. She befriends Mickey Rooney, who reaches mega star status first and becomes one of MGM's most bankable assets. The engrossing book by Marc Acito plays a bit loose with the facts, implying that prior to "The Wizard of Oz" , Garland was struggling at the studio. While it's true her talents were not being capitalized on properly, in fact, she had landed a starring role opposite Rooney the previous year in "Love Finds Andy Hardy". The story follows Garland's frustrations with attempting to land the role of Dorothy in "Oz", but Mayer is intent on casting Shirley Temple. Mayer was convinced that she lacked sex appeal and was largely content to use her for vocal assignments. We watch as the starry-eyed Judy intermingles with her idol Clark Gable (Sean Thompson) and other Hollywood dignitaries, which helps dispel some of the downbeat aspects of her grueling schedule. We all know how events eventually transpired with Garland succeeding in landing her most beloved role. However, if you are expecting to see Dorothy and her companions skipping and singing down the Yellow Brick Road, be aware that the show ends shortly after Garland is finally cast as Dorothy. (Amusingly, she meets her would-be co-star Buddy Ebsen on the set, as he was originally cast as the Tin Man before a reaction to the makeup forced him to bow out and be replaced by Jack Haley.) "Oz" fanatics might be a bit let down, especially since the ad campaign depicts Garland skipping down a road but there is so much else to admire in the production, any hints of of disappointment are likely to be quickly overcome.
There is now denying that the story line glosses over some seemingly
highly dramatic aspects including her adored father's bisexuality which
led to her mother openly carrying on an affair with another man. There
is also only fleeting attention paid to the fact that as a teenager,
Garland became the primary breadwinner for her family, a heavy burden
for any person her age. Louis B. Mayer is presented as a hard-edged,
Scrooge-like grump but there is little evidence of the fact that Garland
courageously had to repel his constant barrage of sexual harrassment.
There are some fleeting indications of how she would become dependent on
opioids as well-meaning family members and co-workers routinely
dispense drugs for her to cope with the pressures of filming and
rehearsing. Thus, the production is not a completely sanitized depiction
of Garland's early years. However, it doesn't dive very deeply into the
demons that were already starting to haunt her.
Watching "Chasing Rainbows" in the hope of getting a warts-and-all
view of Garland's early days in show business is a bit akin to
attempting to learn about the effects of the German anschluss on
Austrian society by watching "The Sound of Music". Nevertheless, the
show is about bringing a smile to theater-goers and in that regard, it
succeeds admirably thanks to a sterling cast with the leading role
played superbly by Ruby Rakos. The supporting cast is also outstanding:
Max Von Essen, Michael Wartella (as Mickey Rooney), Leslie Margherita,
Stephen DeRosa (as Louis B. Mayer) and Colin Hanlin and several are
afforded their own show-stopping moments. There also two sensational
pint-sized child actresses, Sophie Knapp (as young Judy) and Violet
Tinnirello (as Shirley Temple), who hold their own with the adult cast
members.
The show runs at the Papermill through October 27. For tickets and info, click here.