‘Chasing Rainbows’ brings golden-age Hollywood magic to the stage
I was skeptical of “Chasing Rainbows: The Road to Oz,” which is currently receiving its New Jersey premiere at the Paper Mill Playhouse in Millburn. I’m always skeptical of jukebox musicals and that’s, essentially, what “Chasing Rainbows” is. It tells the story of Judy Garland’s rise (up to the point when she starred in “The Wizard of Oz” at the age of 16) with classic tunes — including “You Made Me Love You,” “Zing! Went the Strings of My Heart” and “Got a New Pair of Shoes” — as well as original music.
The problem with jukebox musicals is that’s it’s not always possible, in representing a classic performer’s life (or some part of it), to find a story that works well on the stage. But the creative team behind “Chasing Rainbows” (Marc Acito, book; David Libby, music adaptations and additional music; Tina Marie Casamento, conception and additional lyrics) have come up with one. And with strong acting performances — particularly by Ruby Rakos, who is stunningly good as Garland — and direction and choreography by Denis Jones that conjures the bustling energy and high spirits of golden-age Hollywood musicals, “Chasing Rainbows” won me over. I highly recommend it.