We'd love to go to a place where there isn't any trouble. Do you suppose there is such a place? There must be.
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We imagine it's not a place you can get to by boat or train. It'd be far, far away. Behind the moon, beyond the rain. Somewhere over the rainbow, perhaps.
Wherever that place is, we're pretty sure Carly Bettinson will be there, singing happily like a songbird.
We had the pleasure of interviewing Carly, who plays Dorothy in The Wizard of Oz Arena Spectacular, which will be staged at Newcastle Entertainment Centre on Friday and Saturday.
We asked her what it was like rehearsing to play Dorothy. [Newcastle is the first stop in a five-city tour]
"It's been a dream come true. Also it's been a wild experience. There's so much to learn and so much heart to bring to such a beautiful, iconic character," she said.
The show is a modern version of the timeless classic.
"It's the coolest homage to this beautiful film," Carly, 21, said, adding that rehearsals had been filled with electricity.
"We have 700 mass ensemble performers. The energy is everywhere in the room.
"Where do you get to experience that amount of passion and creativity on stage? It's just incredible."
She said the Wizard of Oz story "has so much heart and goodness".
"It's a story that everybody needs to be reminded of - always."
She added that its themes were "caring for friends, pursuing our dreams, being kind and being brave".
"These are really important, no matter how old you are."
Carly's bubbly character had us imagining we were speaking to a Hollywood film star from the '30s. [The Wizard of Oz film, starring Judy Garland came out in 1939]
Topics: "We feel like we're talking to the real Judy Garland."
Carly: "Oh stop."
Topics: "You're drawing us in to the show with your personality."
Carly: "You have to love what you do. It's so important to bring heart and share that with the audience."
By Coincidence
As we wrote this story, by coincidence, we looked to the corner of our desk and found an unopened letter.
It was from Elaine Richards, of Salt Ash. We opened it. It was dated February 14. Sorry Elaine, we totally forgot to open it.
Anyhow, the letter said: "I saw that Elton John is bringing his Yellow Brick Road [farewell tour] to Newcastle". [He plays Hope Estate Winery on January 11 and 12]
"I went to the View Club up here, dressed as Dorothy. If Elton needs another Dorothy outfit, I've still got the one I made way back then."
We reckon it's safe to say that Elton has plenty of Dorothy outfits. Along with his signature tracksuits and sunglasses, that is.
- topics@theherald.com.au
