By Jennifer Glickel
DNAinfo Reporter/Producer
SOUTH STREET SEAPORT — More than a dozen Broadway hopefuls braved the heat on Wednesday to audition for the role of Dorothy in the revue of “Wizard of Oz” composer Harold Arlen’s music.
The girls, who were between the ages of 16 and 23, belted out show tunes to secure the lead role in “WiZaRD,” an off-Broadway show that will have a brief run in New York beginning in December.
“Oh my goodness, Dorothy is only every girl’s dream when you’re growing up,” said contestant Barbara Grizer, 20, who moved to the Upper West Side from Ohio to pursue her dream of becoming a star.
“I always wanted to be her and I used to live on a farm, so I’d go out and sing ‘Over the Rainbow’ all the time. When I heard about this chance to audition for her part, I was like, ‘I have to!’”
The off-Broadway production will be put together by the Harold Arlen foundation, which was created in the composer’s honor to bring back music education to the classrooms of America’s underserved public schools.
In addition, the foundation works to revive the pop standards that Arlen wrote such as "I've Got The World On a String," “Come Rain or Come Shine," "One For My Baby,” and “Stormy Weather.”
While some of the participants in Wednesday’s tryouts came from across the US to audition, 21-year-old Irma Garcia just hopped on a train from the Lower East Side.
“It definitely feels great to represent Manhattan,” Garcia said after singing Etta James’ “At Last” for the judges.
“I’ve lived here for my entire life, so it’s definitely exciting,” she said.
To cast the ideal Dorothy, foundation representatives journeyed around the country holding open auditions in 11 different cities. New York is their final stop and they will announce the three national finalists at South Street Seaport on Friday.
