The flashback scene with the Ghosts. Clockwise from top left: Luis Zaragosa as Ghost Cowell, Julio Martinez as Cowell Lyons, Baron Kiespert as Ghost Oz, Antone Verastegui as Ghost Crowe, and Olivia De Bosque as Dorothy.
With an attendance in the upper 200’s, “Nightmare of Oz” concluded after the two scheduled performances. Both shows lasted over 5 hours (each night). Monday’s opening performance ran from 8 pm until 1:35 am. Tuesday’s performance ran from 8 pm to 2:27 am.
Despite some trepidation about the show (it was a departure from the horror-driven roots of “Into Hell” and the “…Wonderland” series), the show was a huge success. “Nightmare…” was far more murder-mystery than horror, although some scares and gore were evident.
“On Tuesday night, the crowd just kept coming. It was almost impossible to keep up,” said playwright Katherine Orozco, “Every hour or so, I’d take a peak out the window to take a look at the waiting audience and the line never seemed to get shorter. I saw people get right back in line to see it again.”
That feat is better understood due to the wait in line. The average wait for the audience was roughly two hours.
“To think that people waited two hours in line, just to get back in line and wait for another two hours is a testament to the fun of the show, “said Orozco, who also played one of the “bad cops” Detective Linda Wolffe.
Seated clockwise from top left: Stephen Clark and Vince Chavez as the Henchmen, Chelsea Tovar as the Secretary, Samantha Garcia as Ava Westfield (Wicked Witch), and center is CJ Lillie, playing Sherwood “OZ” Payes.
“Seeing the people’s faces made the issue of time irrelevant. The length of time seemed to pass by quickly once you saw the audience’s intrigue and fright,” said Baron Kiespert, who played the role of Ghost Oz.
Julio Martinez, who played the role of Cowell Lyons, stated, “It was definitely an interesting trip to adapt a children’s story into an adult-driven murder mystery that was still somewhat scary.”
