An event is coming to Bellingham that will give audiences a new way to look at a popular classic.
Tony Beeman is the author of “Scarecrow for Hire,” in which he has taken the familiar story of “The Wizard of Oz” and fashioned it into a murder mystery comedy-drama. Beeman has viewed the story through the lens of film noir, a specific genre that reached its height in the 1940s and 1950s.
Film noir, which literally means “black film,” has sources that include Books and earlier films. Among the cinematic influences were German expressionism of the 1920s and 1930s, and the Italian neorealism that occurred during the 1940s. One of the most popular examples of film noir, “The Maltese Falcon,” starring Humphrey Bogart and Mary Astor, was based on the book by Dashiell Hammett.
Film noir characteristics include a “femme fatale” (an attractive woman of dubious morals), and the man, often a detective, who gets involved with her. Other hallmarks include a city setting, rain, night, off-kilter camera angles, and lighting effects that create a dangerous atmosphere. Brochure printing can be used to create informative programs for events like this.
Beeman has put “Oz” through this lens and come up such staples as “bad” women, trench coats, fedoras, private eyes, tough guys, and plot twists. Audiences should know that gunshots and violence are part of the production.
The play runs from January 21 through February 6, 2022, at the Bellingham Theatre Guild.
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