“Sit on the bench and wait for Oscar,” I’m told.
“Oscar? Who’s Oscar?”
Ten-odd minutes and a whole conversation about other things entirely with my soon-to-be adventuring companions and Oscar shows up.
“Oh. You,” I say as the sight of him clicks it all back into place.
Oscar Diggs. The “Wizard” of Oz. Source of just about everyone’s misery in this story, carrying a lock box and an entreaty to join him on yet another clandestine mission.
Because those always work out.
The eighth chapter of the Kansas Collection finds the Speakeasy Society’s ongoing production in a bit of a damned-if-you-do, damned-if-you-don’t bind.
The story, which has been running for two years now, is coming to a rolling boil: beloved characters are dead and the last moves on the chessboard are clear.
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But even with a reinvigorated pace — another chapter is right on its clicking heels — it can take a moment to reorient yourself to the Byzantine Oz-with-realpolitik world the company has created. And pity the poor soul who might try to jump in to the series now. The episodes — rightly — don’t stop to catch newbies up and no recap post can create the kind of emotional bond that comes from not just following characters, but sharing some of the burden of their stories with them.
That barrier to entry is a shame, because the cycle has been running on all cylinders since last year’s The Vow, and the writing and acting are both reaching up to heights the company usually reserves for their headier work, like the adaptation of Dalton Trumbo’s Johnny Get Your Gun. If anything it feels like the company has matured in real time over the course of the Kansas Collection, and the investment in the series has paid off handsomely for both producers and patrons alike.
Once we follow Mr. Diggs we get to meet up with Glenda, the former “Good Witch,” and Special Agent Phil Daring, currently possessed by half of the spirit of Ozma — lost princess of Oz. That pair is on the run from the forces of the Emerald City, now ruled by Phil’s sister Phoebe — who is possessed by the evil half of Ozma. The box that Oscar is carrying? It has a pair of slippers. Yup, those slippers although the company follows the continuity of the Oz novels in terms of details. His hope is that the slippers can help in the fight against Bad Ozma.
Remember the bit where I said Oscar’s clandestine missions “always work out?” Yeah, that was sarcasm in case you couldn’t tell. Sorry.
From a fan perspective, The Slippers is one of the best installments of the cycle. Each of the chapters post-Vow has felt more like an episode of a TV series in terms of structure. That trend seems to be reaching a peak here, with a cinematic pacing and just the right balance between plot and character engage that part of the brain which actively wonders what’s going to happen next from beat to beat.
The company’s strong suit has always been its acting corps, and with this chapter they show just how much drama can be wrung out of a few actors in a room. That’s on full display this time out, and for those of us who have been on the journey since the beginning it really is a treat to visit with these friends we’ve made along the way.
The only real downside is that this deep into a story it’s not really possible to recommend that first timers jump in and enjoy the craft. Too much story has passed under the bridge for that. Still, the choice to not pack in exposition into each episode is very much the right one. It would break the reality they’ve created.
Instead I find myself looking ahead to the future: with just two chapters left the company will have a chance to catch its breath, take the hard won lessons they’ve earned and produce work that can reach the broader audience they’ve more than earned.
The Slippers plays through March 10th at Thymele Arts, 5481 Santa Monica Blvd, Los Angeles. Tickets are $30.
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