Lexington Youth Summer Theatre performing 'The Wizard of Oz'

By Brock Parker, Town Correspondent

The Lexington Youth Summer Theatre Thursday night will kick off a series of performances of “The Wizard of Oz” featuring 34 local kids.

The first performance will be Thursday at 7 p.m. in Grace Chapel at 59 Worthen Road, in Lexington, followed by a performance Friday night at 7 p.m. and Saturday at 1 p.m. in the church.

The non profit charitable theatre organization has been operating for 32 years, and children from 4 to 12 years old rehearse every day for seven weeks for the performances. They also host car washes, raffles and other fundraisers and parents of the cast volunteer their time for the productions. A portion of the proceeds from the theatre organization go to children’s charities selected by the cast.

This year children from Lexington, Andover, Burlington, Chelmsford and Melrose will perform “The Wizard of Oz” featuring the classic songs composed by Harold Arlen, including “Over the Rainbow,” “Ding Dong the Witch is Dead,” and “If I Only Had a Brain.”
Mark Mercer is directing the play for the youth theater organization, and Lexington’s Jennifer Wolfman is serving as the assistant director.

Tickets are $13 in advance and $15 at the door and can be purchased at http://www.lexingtonyouthsummertheatre.org or at Catch a Falling Star, Levine Orthodontics, and Michelson’s Shoes in Lexington.