Wizard of Oz gets a makeover

“Dorothy in Oz”

Sept. 11, 12, 18, 19, 25 and 26

8 p.m.

The Brew House, 2100 Mary… “Dorothy in Oz”

Sept. 11, 12, 18, 19, 25 and 26

8 p.m.

The Brew House, 2100 Mary St.

Tickets: $13

“Toto, I don’t think we’re in Kansas anymore,” Dorothy says in the movie “The Wizard of Oz.”

But in the new rendition of the famous story, it won’t take Dorothy long to realize that she’s not exactly in the magical land of Oz, either.

Pittsburgh production company Rage of the Stage, known for putting on offbeat and original plays, is putting a new spin on a classic story by placing Dorothy in a mental facility rather than somewhere over the rainbow in its newest play “Dorothy in Oz.”

Instead of battling a bright green wicked witch and trying to find her way home, Dorothy (who prefers to be called Dottie) struggles against a new psychiatric drug and tries to find her way back to sanity.

Fans of the original “The Wizard of Oz” might be slightly taken aback when Dorothy — rather than stepping into a colorful world of munchkins, fairies and exotic flowers — wanders into a drab and depressing version of Oz that is actually Oslin Center, a mental health facility.

But according to “Dorothy in Oz” writer and director James Shoberg, dark and dingy is Rage of the Stage’s specialty.

“We saw a lot of the same kind of theater in Pittsburgh, and we thought that there was a certain audience that was being neglected — a more adult audience with an appreciation for dark humor. And the response has been great.”

This Pittsburgh theater company, founded in 2000, frequently puts on warped versions of well-known children’s stories and fairy tales. Its last production was an urbanized version of “Alice in Wonderland.”

“‘The Wizard of Oz’ was one of the most difficult things I ever adapted,” Shoberg said. “It’s not easy and straightforward like ‘Alice’ was.”

Shoberg said he struggled with reading the children’s book while a play loomed in the back of his head. But all the same, he knew he had a great concept and stuck to it.

“I had this idea involving characters that needed a heart, a brain, etcetera and tried to think of different ways I could give it to them,” Shoberg said.

After enough time under the pressure of the book, Shoberg turned his attention to the better-known movie.

“I had initially planned to stay faithful to the children’s book,” Shoberg said.

But after seeing the movie again, he said he reconsidered and started pulling from both mediums.

“The movie really took the best aspects of the book,” he said. “It’s honestly a great adaptation.”

But the plot still posed challenges for Shoberg.

“It was difficult to maintain the journey aspect,” he said. “But it gets a bit tricky when the play is contained in a building instead of an entire world.”

Join Dottie and the motley crew of hospital patients she acquires along her quest of the administrative wing on Sept. 11, 12, 18, 19, 25 and 26 at The Brew House in the South Side. Tickets are $13, and reservations can be made by calling 412-851-0922.