Joshua Brown, from left, appears as the Cowardly Lion alongside Melvina Bradford as Dorothy, Sydney Fitch as the Scarecrow and Karina Davis as the Tin Man in The Acting Company’s world premiere production of "Finding Oz." Photo by Shamaya Sutton

YUBA CITY, CA (MPG) - The Acting Company’s world premiere production of "Finding Oz" sits on the edge of something remarkable and timely.

Written and directed by Bob Cooner, the play looks beyond the yellow brick road and into the complicated life of L. Frank Baum, the man whose imagination gave the world "The Wonderful Wizard of Oz." With a biographical storyline reminiscent of "Finding Neverland" or "The Greatest Showman," "Finding Oz" explores the political ideals, family influences, personal failures and flashes of inspiration that shaped Baum’s imagination at the turn of the 20th century.

Coming on the heels of renewed interest in Oz-related stories, including the recent "Wicked" movie craze, the production seems well-positioned to attract audiences. While safe for younger viewers, the production’s themes, pacing and historical framing are better suited for adults, literary enthusiasts and audiences willing to sit with complexity.

Cooner brings together a strong nine-person ensemble, more than half of whom are making their Acting Company debuts. The ensemble carries much of the production’s energy, with actors moving in and out of multiple roles from Baum’s life while also embodying familiar echoes from "The Wizard of Oz." Joshua Brown is a particular standout, shifting easily between characters and bringing a playful theatricality to the stage. As the Cowardly Lion, Brown uses a simple fur-lined jacket collar pulled over his head to suggest a mane, a clever reminder of how much can be accomplished with commitment and imagination.

The staging is simple and effective, relying on chairs, projections and a black-box approach that gives the production an "Our Town" quality. Rather than creating a literal world around Baum, the production asks the audience to help imagine it. That choice works well for a play about the creation of one of America’s most enduring fantasy landscapes.

At the center of "Finding Oz" is Baum himself, portrayed not as a mythic genius but as a restless, flawed and often frustrating man. The play follows his many failed or short-lived ventures, including newspaper editor, salesman, chicken breeder, shopkeeper, theater producer and even baseball team owner, before he eventually finds success with "The Wonderful Wizard of Oz."

Cooner’s script is strongest when it allows Baum to remain complicated. Baum is shown as a man influenced by progressive ideas, particularly through his connection to women’s suffrage and the strong women in his life. At the same time, the historical Baum is also remembered for deeply troubling writings calling for the extermination of Native Americans, specifically the Lakota Sioux, during his time as editor of "The Aberdeen Saturday Pioneer" in South Dakota.

The play attempts to explore those contradictions with nuance, though it also leaves lingering questions. Was Baum a visionary or did he simply stumble into success? Is he worthy of this much attention or is the more interesting story found in the people who supported him?

One of the production’s most compelling figures is Baum’s wife, Maud Gage Baum, played by Patricia Herrera. Maud was the daughter of pioneering feminist and suffragist Matilda Joslyn Gage, and the play presents her as a key force behind Baum’s personal and professional survival. She manages the family’s finances, endures his repeated failures and encourages him to write down the stories he tells their children.

Herrera brings a grounded presence to the role, and Maud’s patience becomes one of the most fascinating threads of the play. Her story raises questions about love, loyalty and the limited choices available to women of her time. In many ways, Maud’s life may be just as worthy of theatrical exploration as Baum’s.

As a world premiere, "Finding Oz" carries the excitement of a new work meeting its first audiences. It may not answer every question it raises, but it makes the journey to Oz feel stranger, more human and more complicated than the familiar story audiences think they know. The ending leans into a familiar plea for audiences to "tell your story," a sentiment that feels heartfelt, if slightly broad. It also raises an interesting question: Was Baum really telling his own story or was he simply borrowing from fairy tales, political movements, family influences and cultural imagination until something finally stuck?

This line of questioning is ultimately what makes "Finding Oz" quietly effective. It challenges the myth that great and famous works must come from great and famous people. More often, they come from flawed, failing and deeply human individuals who are simply trying to make a living, leave a mark or find their way home. The production may still need refinement, but it offers audiences something thoughtful and worthwhile: a reminder that even the road to Oz was paved with failure, contradiction and persistence.

"Finding Oz" continues at The Acting Company, 815 B St., in Yuba City through June 21. Performances are scheduled for Fridays and Saturdays at 7:30 p.m. and Sundays at 2 p.m. Tickets are $20 general admission and are available through The Acting Company website or by calling the box office at 530-751-1100.