Neptune Theatre is heading back down the yellow brick road this holiday season as it stages The Wizard of Oz for the first time in fifteen years, with director Michelle Langille, who performed in Neptune’s 2010 production, now leading the creative team.
I grew up watching Neptune productions which inspired my love of theatre. I will never take for granted that I get to play such an iconic character on that same stage. – Dartmouth native Henna Matharu, who plays Dorothy Gale in Neptune Theatre’s production of The Wizard of Oz.
Langille says returning to Oz underscores the role of Neptune’s holiday show in the company’s season. “The holiday production is the heart of the Neptune season,” she says. “I know what it means, not only to the theatre, but to generations of patrons who’ve made Neptune a part of their celebrations this time of year.”
The cast features a lineup of predominantly East Coast talent, including Jeremiah Sparks as the Wizard, Shadow as Toto, and Dartmouth native Henna Matharu as Dorothy.
For Matharu, taking on the iconic role feels like a homecoming. “I grew up watching Neptune productions which inspired my love of theatre,” she says. “I will never take for granted that I get to play such an iconic character on that same stage.”
Based on L. Frank Baum’s 1900 novel and the 1939 MGM film starring Judy Garland, The Wizard of Oz follows Dorothy, the Scarecrow, the Tin Man and the Cowardly Lion as they journey to meet the mysterious Wizard who might send Dorothy home to Kansas. The production features familiar songs from the film, including the enduring classic “Somewhere Over the Rainbow.”
The Wizard of Oz runs November 4, 2025 through January 4, 2026 on Neptune Theatre’s Fountain Hall Stage (1593 Argyle St, Halifax). Visit neptunetheatre.com for tickets and information.