The Scarecrow and the Lion are polishing up their moves and roars for the Musical Theatre Guild production of "The Wizard of Oz," which opens Oct. 17 at the Succop Theater on the Butler Community College campus.

Reese Fleeger of Center Township will don the mane for the role of the Cowardly Lion.

"I did not specifically audition for any one character, but this was certainly the character I was hoping for," he said of his eagerness to play the frightened feline.

Fleeger last took the stage as Tom Collins at Thiel College in the Rainbow Alliance's production of "Rent." This role is decidedly different.

"I feel like, largely because the character of the Lion was played so well in the film by Mr. Bert Lahr, that there is almost a preconception of how the Lion is supposed to be played, with the funny voice and all that," said Fleeger.

"I want to do as little of that as I possibly can, and construct the character in a different way, and hopefully get some great laughs," he said of the uniqueness he plans to bring to the role.

He thinks the show is definitely timely and as he's gotten older he's gone beyond the cool characters and special effects to understand the underlying theme of the production.

"When I really think about the ending in particular, I feel like this story tells us a lot about true happiness, and not taking advantage of the good situations we may have," Fleeger said.

"I feel like some people, myself in particular, tend to look at the glass as being half empty. And this is really a glass half full kind of a show," he added.

Playing his haystack compadre is Joel Richardson, also of Center Township. The Butler High School senior is also preparing simultaneously for his role in the high school production of "Pippin." He said he believes the Scarecrow is the perfect role for him.

"I think I have a lot of fun with the Scarecrow. I like to be funny, and I love to laugh, so I try to incorporate that as much as possible," he said.

For Richardson, the theme of the show can be summed up in the words: love and family.

"You can always go searching for something bigger or something better, but when it comes down to it, those who love you and care about you, are the only ones that truly matter," he said.

As for Gordon Cavalero, director of the show, people can both be a blessing and a challenge when it comes to producing a production this size.

Additionally, the cast of some 60 people boasts a lot of new faces.

"The guild wanted to do a family show," said Cavalero, who has been involved with this show before under the Butler Summer Dramatics program.

"We had to recruit a lot of people to build the set," said Cavalero.

"At this time of the year, people are really busy. In fact we lost our original choreographer and Connie Rodgers offered to step into that role," he said.

The classic show will open Oct. 17 and run through Oct. 26.