Life is all about cycles: birth and death; first day of school and graduation; entering a new career and retiring. An entry entitled “You’re Not in Kansas Anymore” was our first article on VidaMaz.com—on June 14, 2008. That reference to “The Wizard of Oz” meant we were leaving our home in Kansas for Mazatlán, heading out to begin life in a new land full of Technicolor dreams. The photo on that first post showed my husband, Greg, and our son, Danny, posing with cutouts of the stars of the movie based on Frank Baum’s novel.
During the eleven years that we have lived here full time, I have had the joy of double-dipping Mother’s Days. Mexicans celebrate the holiday on May 10th, and US Americans celebrate it on the second Sunday of the month. Greg asked me what I wanted for Mother’s Day, and I asked to go to the Mazatlán Municipal Center of the Arts’ children’s production of “The Wizard of Oz.”
Directed by Maestro Giovanny Armenta, the 50 performers today at noon in the Angela Peralta included members of both the Children’s Theater Workshop and the Children’s Chorus.
We watched as Dorothy—Dorita, was swept up in an unexpected journey with her dog, Toto, which brought her three dear new friends: el Espantapájaros (Scarecrow), el Hombre Hojalata (Tin Man), and, finally, el León Cobarde (Cowardly Lion). Together, just as our family did, the group follows the Yellow Brick Road to the land Oz, in hopes that the wizard will grant them their wishes. In the process, Dorothy learns to value family and home, and everyone learns to trust themselves.
The simple performance was an utter delight. The children’s chorus has a few standouts—I just know that hefty boy in blue is the next banda star, following in Chuy Lizárraga’s footsteps, and the little girl in pink with the incredible facial expressions most definitely knows how to command an audience. Runaway stars of the show, however, were the incredible Wicked Witch of the West, whose evil laugh was absolutely sinister; and Toto, played with joy and gusto by a young child who looked to be no more than three or four. Toto cuddled with Dorothy, wagged his tail, jumped on his hind legs, smelled the Cowardly Lion’s feet, cowered from the evil witch, unveiled the hidden man pretending to be the wizard, and even lifted his leg at one point during the show. Both performers were unbelievably charming, and the cast as a whole was very solid. Click on any photo to enlarge it or view a slideshow.
Today’s performance made a perfect Mother’s Day, bringing our move full circle. What cycles has our family, like Dorothy and her friends, passed through? What transitions have we made? We have become blessed with many new friends to add to the beloved family and friends we had before our move. We’ve transitioned from being confused, worried and frustrated to by and large understanding our new language and culture, though of course we continue learning every day. Rather than seeking advice several times a day we are now frequently asked to give it. We have transitioned to being empty nesters who look forward to segueing from working full time to retired at some point in the not-too-distant future. We’ve definitely had our share of metaphorical tornadoes, wicked witches and flying monkeys—we came here to experience life as a minority, and we’ve learned to watch what we ask for! Thankfully, we have all grown, changed and love it here in “Oz,” and living here has in many ways brought us closer to family and friends in our birth home, too.
¡VidaMaz! 