The Wizard of Oz’ opens this weekend.

You can’t escape “The Wizard of Oz.”

From the proverbial “horse of a different color” to “there’s no place like home,” from Elton John songs to David Lynch films, L. Frank Baum’s classic children’s tale has achieved a ubiquity unmatched in popular culture.

Thank the big screen.

“The movie just burned such an image into everyone’s head, it will be there forever,” said Steven Fogell, long-time Bainbridge Performing Arts director and theater instructor.

Not that Fogell won’t shake things up a bit, with wild effects, gargoylish monkeys and a more comely Wicked Witch of the West, when “The Wizard of Oz” opens at BPA this week.

With a cast of thousands – actually just 53, which still makes for a very full stage – some 130 costumes and nearly two dozen song and dance routines, the production promises a spectacle of unusual scope and color.

Except for the part that’s black and white, which may be the best of all. In a nod to the iconic 1939 film adaptation, the BPA production blends cinematic elements with the live action on stage.

The opening and closing scenes of dust-bowl Kansas were filmed over the summer on the Boundy farm at Fletcher Bay. Those scenes – whirling tornado and all – will be projected on a back screen, as Bronsyn Springer’s Dorothy is transported to adventure in the magical land of munchkins and winkies.

Other projections, including a sinister Wizard worthy of “Doctor Who” and a witch who melts away into a fog of oblivion, will lend effects not usually seen on the community stage.

“It’s one of those stories that has utilized every trick available in theater,” Fogell said.

“Oz” was last produced on the island stage about 15 years ago by Greasepaint, the teen troupe. Talk of bringing it to BPA had been going on for about five years, but other favorite fare like “A Christmas Carol” had something of a lock on the seasonal stage.

“We were waiting for a holiday slot,” Fogell said. “(‘Oz’) is one of the few non-Christmas musicals that works really well as a holiday show.”

Most of the cast hail from Bainbridge Island, including Ross Boundy (Uncle Henry), Bob Cederwall (the Wizard/Professor Marvel) and young Chloe Hosterman as the ever-faithful Toto.

Penned in 1900, “The Wizard of Oz” first enjoyed success as a children’s story, and was adapted as a Broadway musical just three years later. But it was the 1939 film starring Judy Garland that fixed the story into the collective consciousness.

Fogell considers “The Wizard of Oz” to be “the one true American fairy tale,” on par with so many familiar tales of European origin. Today it is referenced constantly across popular culture, from rap songs to underground comic books to the expressions of everyday speech.

“If you look for it,” Fogell said, “you will find it ever single day.”

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Over the rainbow

The BPA production of “The Wizard of Oz,” directed by Steven Fogell, runs Dec. 8-10, 14-17, 21-23, with a pay-as-you-can preview Dec. 7. Evening showings are at 7:30 p.m., with Sunday matinees at 3 p.m. Tickets are available at the BPA box office and online at www.theplayhouse.org.