"The Wizard of Oz" was a hit five years ago, and Diamond Head Theatre has brought it back to bump up the summer slot in its current season.

It's a good nostalgic choice. Based on the 1939 classic Judy Garland film, the show sticks tight inside the movie's dialogue and visual images and offers performance opportunity to a couple of dozen youngsters to fill out the ranks of the Munchkins and the flying monkeys.

The production is also boosted by good voices in the principal roles and some standout performances.

Kalia Medeiros has the quality of innocent optimism for the role of Dorothy and plenty of stage presence to deal with a scene-stealing little dog while delivering the signature "Somewhere Over the Rainbow." Maile, an Australian silky terrier, is wisely confined to a picnic hamper for the rest of the show. Daniel Lloyd Pias is the weepy Tin Woodsman, and Larry Bialock follows the lead set by Bert Lahr as the Cowardly Lion.

But the one to watch is Justin Hashimoto as the Scarecrow. A recent high-school graduate, Hashimoto is a triple treat as an actor who can sing and dance with seemingly effortless energy, filling out the physically demanding, rubber-legged choreography and keeping enough breath in reserve to hit the notes on "If I Only Had a Brain."

Paul Mitri doubles as both the quirky Professor Marvel and the Wizard of Oz himself. Kathleen Sulieman repeats from the 2003 production as Miss Gultch and the Wicked Witch of the West, and does justice to the necessary bone-jarring, cackling laugh.

Also doubling in this show are Megan Amanda DeBoard as Aunt Em/Glinda the Good Witch of the North, and Fedrico Biven as Uncle Henry/Emerald City Guard.

Director Rob Duval and musical director Peter Rucci take pains to replicate the movie memories, and the cast nicely delivers according to expectations — even down to the scowling Munchkins who represent the Lollipop Guild.

Choreography, however, goes beyond the film while technical effects simply can't match it.

There's a big jitterbug number which the Wicked Witch designs to dance Dorothy and friends into exhaustion before whisking them into captivity. It's a good number, but coming late in a show that feels longer than its clock time of 2 1/2 hours, interrupts and delays the performance for an audience that would prefer to get on with the plot.

Similar hiatus happens when the dancing crows, snowflakes, and citizens of the Emerald City strap on their tap shoes. Cumulatively, the dance numbers make the production bigger, but weigh it down.

EFFECTS NOT SO SPECIAL

Special effects have all the impact and quaint charm of a one-horse "Ben Hur."

Karen Wolfe's costumes transition from Kansas's sepia tones to Oz's bright primary colors, but can't match the film impact of stepping out of black and white into Technicolor. Projecting the Wizard as a larger-than-life image and Aunt Em into a crystal ball works well, but the escape balloon is a sad contraption that is more porch swing than helium.

The tornado that carries Dorothy to Oz is a shadowy affair of puppetry and spiral light projections, where credit for any dramatic success goes to the orchestra. Worse, it gets played out in reverse for the return trip.

Of course we cut some slack for budget shortfalls and the physical confines of the live stage, but also recognize that a slavish imitation makes for a poor fit in a distinctly different medium and significantly limits imaginative alternatives.

But the show otherwise looks and sounds good and will make for a fine summer family outing.

Joseph T. Rozmiarek has been reviewing theater performances in Hawai'i since 1973.

'The Wizard of Oz'

Diamond Head Theatre

8 p.m. Wednesdays-Saturdays, 4 p.m. Sundays (matinees 3 p.m. Saturday and July 26); through July 27. Extended run: 8 p.m. July 31 and Aug. 1-2; 3 p.m. Aug. 2; 4 p.m. Aug. 3

$12-$42 (discounts available)

www.diamondheadtheatre.com, 733-0274