Visit ‘Oz’ through July at the Hale Centre Theatre
BY MEGHAN MCCOY
The iconic tale of a tornado, friendship and a dog named Toto will take audiences on a trip to “Oz” through July 3 at the Hale Centre Theatre.
“It’s a classic story,” said Jesse Jo Pauley, who plays Dorothy in “The Wizard of Oz.”
“It’s a beloved story that has been watched for years and years. This show is amazing because we take something that people know well and we also put our own spin on it. It is something a lot of people can relate to—no problem can be solved without friends and family.”
A junior at Mountain View High School, Jesse Jo said she wanted to audition for Dorothy because she grew up watching “The Wizard of Oz.” She said she wanted inject spunk into Dorothy, who is generally depicted as very sweet and small.
Jesse Jo sees Dorothy as a young girl who longed to find a place where she belongs. As the movie goes, the teen from Kansas discovers friendship and her love of home after an adventure with Toto and three newfound acquaintances.
“She is so protective of the ones she loves,” Pauley said. “She does anything to make Toto safe and her friends safe. That is what makes her so endearing and loveable.”
The Hale Centre Theatre production of “The Wizard of Oz” includes the wellknown songs and dance numbers. Jesse Jo enjoys singing “Over the Rainbow” because she gets to carry Toto in her arms. Another favorite scene is when Dorothy and her friends enter Emerald City. It is then that the entire cast does a trademark dance number.
Playing the role of the Cowardly Lion is Glendale resident Geoffrey Goorin, a theater veteran who, at one time, performed as Scarecrow. While he was playing Scarecrow back East, his dad
died and inspired him to become the Cowardly Lion.
“He’s the comic release,” Goorin said. “He’s the one that has all the witty and goofy stuff to say.”
He said the Cowardly Lion, who is afraid of his own shadow, eventually learns that he needs to face things and find courage.
“He learns that the hard way, through adventure,” Goorin said.
Acting aspirations
Jesse Jo began acting when she was 8 years old, almost nine years ago. She said she recalls her parents taking her to a Michigan theater to see “Mulan Jr.” and wanting to be on the stage instead of in the audience. Now that she’s a veteran, she enjoys putting herself into someone else’s shoes and trying to genuinely become that person.
“I love that acting pushes your limits and how far you can go,” she said.
Goorin began acting in Pittsburgh when he was 17 years old and then put it aside for many years, until October. He loves the art form for the same reason as Jesse Jo.
“Acting is a chance to be someone else. I’m the goofy character roles that people like. That’s why I find it fun,” said Goorin, who founded the Murder and a Meal Dinner Theatre in Scottsdale. “It gives me a chance to express myself in ways that I can’t. Actors are unique, I think. We need the love of family and friends and need a little extra hug from people we don’t know...need validation.”
Tickets to “The Wizard of Oz” range from $16 to $28 at the Hale Centre Theatre, 50 W. Page Ave., Gilbert. Call the box office at (480) 497-1181 or by visit www.haletheatrearizona.com to purchase tickets.
Jesse Jo Pauley’s favorite part of playing Dorothy is when her character and her friends approach Emerald City. Submitted photo
Music fun again for country star Wynonna Judd
BY CHRISTINA FUOCO-KARASINSKI
Born Christina Claire Ciminella, Wynonna Judd is affectionate toward anyone who shares her birth name.
“I was named Christina,” Judd said. “It’s a beautiful name. I was raised Italian as well, so I get it.”
Wynonna changed her name in her teens to reflect the unincorporated community in Coconino County made famous in the song “Route 66.” Needless to say, she’s enamored with the Grand Canyon State.
“I love Arizona,” Judd said. “I was named after Arizona. I have a love affair with my fans there big time and I go there a lot. I’m in my 38th year (of performing). I feel like I was raised in and out of Arizona.
“I love Arizona, period.”
Judd, who returns to the state to perform with her band The Big Noise at the Celebrity Theatre in Phoenix on Friday, June 5, is having more fun than ever entertaining.
“You get to an age where you have wisdom and experience and you know what not to do and you know what works,” she said.
“You know what’s important; that life is more important than show business.”
These days she’s celebrating life for different reasons. She’s not in music for financial gain, instead she’s grateful for the opportunities her profession has given her.
“I thank God for what I have, but that’s not what defines me,” Judd said. “What defines me is the music and the joy that comes from it.
“It was a really bizarre, weird, wonderful time,” she said about the Austin show. “It was really a return to the well. I spent a lot of time there as a teenager listening to bands.
“When mom (Naomi) and I made it, we did ‘Austin City Limits,’ which was a big deal, like doing ‘David Letterman.’ To come back there at this point in my career it was a reflection of an amazing journey. This is a really interesting time.”
An interesting and satisfying time for Judd.
“Musically there’s not a better feeling in the world than going on stage with your tribe and we’re all dancing to the same beat,” she said. “It’s like doing a group dance.
“You get to the point where you surround yourself with the right people. You know what works for you. I have the best team in my entire career. You get down to the people who you trust on your left hand. It’s not about how many friends you have, it’s about the ones who are loyal, that I trust. I know I have people that if I fall back with my eyes closed, they’ll catch me. I just know.”
Part of her team is husband/ producer/drummer Cactus Moser, with whom she has been working on her eighth studio album. The pair debuted new songs during a gig at the SXSW Music Festival.
“At a recent show, I looked up at this beautiful sky when somebody was doing a solo. I looked up and I stretched my arms out and said, ‘Thank you God.’ I could feel literally heaven on earth. I would feel the heavens coming down. It was a marvelous feeling of the camaraderie I have with this band. I’m no longer the solo artist. I’m not a chick in a band, you know? It feels like a team.”
Wynonna and The Big Noise perform at 8 p.m. Friday, June 5, at Celebrity Theatre, 440 N. 32nd St., Phoenix. Tickets are $46 to $71. For more information, call (602) 267-1600 or visit www.celebritytheatre.com.
Wynonna Judd has a special love affair with Arizona. Submitted photo
Intersection holds annual All Art Arizona exhibition
All Art Arizona is a seven-week exhibition that features various kinds of mediums, will be held at Art Intersection. Credit: Danielle Woods, Melissa Schleuger and Lena Klett
The annual All Art Arizona, a sevenweek exhibition creating opportunities for visual artists of all experience levels, will run from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. through Saturday, July 18, at Art Intersection, 207 N. Gilbert Rd., Suite 201, Gilbert.
The exhibit will showcase many forms of visual art from Arizona artist featuring different mediums of painting, drawing, fibers, mixed media, photography and sculpture.
BY MEGHAN MCCOY
Swing from vine to vine with the actors in “Tarzan” at the Hale Centre Theatre in July and August.
The popular musical shares the story of a boy who is raised in the wild African jungle by apes. After a team of scientists arrives in the area to study, Tarzan soon learns that there are others just like him. During the performance, Tarzan—and the audience—will learn if he wants to stay with the apes or the woman with whom he has fallen in love.
Bryson Holl, 10, will play young Tarzan.
“My mom figured out they were doing a play. I thought it would be fun,” said the actor about his reasons to audition.
Bryson said he likes Tarzan because it’s “really cool when he swings across the vines.”
Curtis Lunt, a Highland High School senior, will portray the older Tarzan, making it the ninth performance he has done at Hale Centre Theatre.
“It’s especially cool because it was a movie I watched so much as a little kid,” he said of performing the part. He also thought it would be fun because the first read-through of the play is the Monday after he graduates.
“I am super excited to have this opportunity to do this show,” Curtis said. “It’s been a long time since I have been able to do anything on the stage.”
Sharing the love
Bryson was cast for his first role at 4 years old, thanks to his mother’s love of theater. She acted and sang in college.
“I am so excited for him,” she said. “He is super excited to get the part. We are proud of him.”
Bryson said of his 15 performances his favorite was “Oliver.” He said he enjoyed the role because he performed on a big stage.
The whole acting experience he said is fun because “you get to meet new people.”
Curtis started acting at age 8, but hasn’t performed for the last three and a half years. He became involved because his family is very musical.
“I grew up really involved in music, so I decided I wanted to try to do musical theater,” Curtis said. “Primarily I was a musician before I was an actor. The music is definitely appealing to me. That is what first brought me into acting.”
He will attend ASU to study music
therapy, which he hopes to use in the medical field.
Hale Centre Theatre is located at 50 W. Page Ave., Gilbert. Tickets for the shows from Thursday, July 9, through Saturday, Aug. 22, are $16 to $28. For more information, call (480) 497-1181 or visit www.haletheatrearizona.com.
Bryson Holl, 10, will play the title character in the musical “Tarzan” at Hale Centre Theatre. Submitted photo
ON STAGE
“The Wizard of Oz,” through Friday, July 3, HCT. Travel from Kansas to Oz with Dorothy and her friends.
Doo Wah Riders, Saturday, June 6, HAC. For more than 30 years the Doo Wah Riders have provided a mix of country with their own unique sound.
Dirty South, Sunday, June 7, MDN. Dragan Roganovic, otherwise known by his stage name Dirty South, is a world-renowned DJ, two-time Grammy-nominated producer and global festival headliner.
Robert Cray Band, Thursday, June 11, MAC. Robert Cray is on tour to support his new album “In My Soul” and is celebrating 40 years since the formation of the Robert Cray Band.
Steven Wilson, Thursday, June 11, MAC. Along with its quadrophonic sound, the spring tour to promote “Hand. Cannot. Erase.” will feature custom-made film projections and stop-frame footage in the grand hand-crafted tradition of the animator Oliver Postgate.
“Legends, Divas & Superstars,” Thursday, June 11, CCA. The show is a family-
friendly dance performance including classical ballet, jazz, tap and Broadway show tunes.
New Wave Order, Friday, June 12, HAC. The ultimate ‘80s tribute band will entertain all with its tributes to Depeche Mode, The Fixx, The Cure, Simple Minds, New Order, Blondie, Duran Duran and Billy Idol.
Butch Walker, Friday, June 12, LW. Bradley Glenn Walker III, known as Butch Walker, gained his first taste of major label success in the ‘90s as a member of the group Marvelous 3, whose single “Freak of the Weak” became a modern rock hit in 1999.
Hannibal Buress, Saturday, June 13, WHP.
Hannibal Buress is widely known for having an irresistible comedic presence that is cerebral and swagger.
Rock Lobster, Saturday, June 13, HAC.
Rock Lobster covers songs from Billy Idol’s “White Wedding” to Cyndi Lauper’s “Girls Just Want to Have Fun.”
“Sesame Street Live: Let’s Dance!,” Saturday, June 13, and Sunday, June 14, MAC. “Sesame Street Life: Let’s Dance!” offers an up-close, interactive experience that includes dance parties.
“Arya’s Rock: A Video Game Adventure,” Thursday, June 18, through Sunday, June 28, MAC. Follow the journey of a boy who is transported into the realm of Arya’s Rock, a world where unrest is seeping through every beach, forest and island.
Marshall Tucker Band, Friday, June 19, HAC. The Marshall Tucker Band will play their southern rock hits from the ‘70s.
The Walkens, Saturday, June 20, HAC. Over the years, The Walkens have performed with Gin Blossoms, Men at Work, The Posies, Little Feat, Collective Soul and The Smithereens.
Quantum, Friday, June 26, HAC. Quantum plays a variety of hits from the ‘60s.
CCA—Chandler Center for the Arts
250 N. Arizona Ave., Chandler Tickets: (480) 782-2680, www.chandlercenter.org
HCT—Hale Center Theatre 50 W. Page Ave., Gilbert Tickets: (480) 497-1181, www.haletheatrearizona.com
HAC—Harrah’s Ak-Chin Casino 15406 N. Maricopa Rd., Maricopa Tickets: (480) 802-5000, www.harrahsakchin.com
LW—Livewire
7320 E. Indian Plaza, Scottsdale Tickets: (480) 970-1112 or www.Livewireaz.com
MAC — Mesa Arts Center One E. Main St., Mesa Tickets: (480) 644-6500, www.mesaartscenter.com
MDN—Maya Day + Nightclub 7333 E. Indian Plaza, Scottsdale Tickets: (480) 625-0528 or www.mayaclubaz.com
WHP—Wild Horse Pass Hotel & Casino 5040 Wild Horse Pass Blvd., Chandler Tickets: (800) 946-4452 or www.wingilariver.com/wild-horse-pass
