By Donald Libenson
For Dara Cameron of Oak Park and Rob Rahn of Lincolnshire, now appearing in Drury Lane’s Theatre for Young Adults “The Wizard of Oz,” this is not the first time over the rainbow. Nor is it their first time in the show together.
Cameron portrayed Kansas girl Dorothy Gale five times dating back to high school. Rahn portrayed Uncle Henry in another Marriott Theatre production opposite her. But neither has lost their sense of wonder at the musical that has transported generations, and for many children, is their introduction to live theater.
The classic 1939 movie starring Judy Garland, ranked by the American Film Institute as the third greatest musical of all time, is the gold standard by which all family films (and wicked witches) are judged. For four decades, the movie, aired only once a year on broadcast networks, was a family viewing tradition.
Cameron, in her 20s, missed out on that. She came of age in the era of home video and basic cable. “But I loved listening to my mom’s stories of how much it meant to her watching it with her family when she was a little girl,” the Oak Park resident said.
Rahn, 60, who lives in Lincolnshire, did watch it with his family, but they did not own a color television. He would not witness the film’s glorious burst into color until he went to college.
Click here for the full report from The Doings Hinsdale.
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