FRANKLIN — Teche Area residents have the chance to “ease on down the road” for the next two weekends as the Teche Theatre performs its summer musical “The Wiz.”

Play Director Tyra Yarber said the plot for the musical is similar to the classic novel of which it is based, “The Wizard of Oz.”

“The music is a little hipper and more up to date,” Yarber said. “But it’s totally different from the movie.”

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The show is based on the books by Frank L. Baum, Yarber said, which are “much darker” than the movie made decades ago.

“They lightened it up a lot for the movie,” Yarber said. “They’ll see a closer rendition to what the story was in the book, along with a lot of great music.”

People who hear “The Wiz” often think of the late 1970s movie starring Diana Ross and Michael Jackson, Yarber said, though the musical being performed at the Teche Theatre is vastly different.

“The movie is based in New York, while our play is based in Kansas,” Yarber said. “They took a lot of liberties with the movie. In fact, one of the songs Michael Jackson sings as the scarecrow is not even what they sing in the play.”

The theater group performs a musical every summer to try and cater to youth and their parents, Yarber said. Though Yarber said many relate “The Wiz” to a largely black cast, the local play includes a diverse cast.

“I think a lot of people are interested in the difference between this play and ‘The Wizard of Oz,’ ” Yarber said. “And a lot of people think of Michael Jackson, who just passed away. A lot of his fans may want to see it, plus the kids we have and the local talent people are familiar with will draw people as well.”

The approximately 50-person cast includes several Teche Theatre veterans, Yarber said, like Carolyn Higdon as Dorothy, Victor Lashley as the wizard of Oz, Averis Anderson as the tin man and Denise Galatas as the scare crow. The ages of the cast range from 6 to almost 50 years old, Yarber said.

The musical debuts Saturday at 7:30 p.m., and performances will continue July 28, 29, 31 and Aug. 1 at 7:30 p.m. The group also will perform a matinee Sunday at 3 p.m.

Tickets are $15 in advance and can be purchased at the Fad News Stand in Franklin or on the Teche Theatre Web site, www.ttpaonline.com. Tickets are $20 at the door.