Musical maven Ken Stack has put the hoke in hokey with a down-home production of “The Wizard of Oz,” playing through next weekend at The Grand in Ellsworth. The cut-out plywood sets, the flying monkeys and witches, a Wizard with a Down East accent, and a fake dog bark offstage mark this show as one of Stack’s most hilariously cornball productions.

But that’s half the fun. It’s that kind of community-theater hokeyness that charms in such a way to be wholly entertaining. And you’ve got to give it to Stack: He knows how to entertain.

Combine all that with the timeless humor and enchanting story based on L. Frank Baum’s book, as well as the excellent music by Harold Arlen and E.Y. Harburg, and you’ve got a hit — Down East-style.

Well, at least at The Grand. “The Wizard of Oz,” the musical version written in the 1960s, was never a hit on Broadway. The story’s fame belongs mostly to the 1939 movie, still a favorite among kids and adults. This stage version, adapted by the Royal Shakespeare Company and including incidental music and full numbers that were cut from the film, puts a heavy strain on a production crew whose job it is to approximate a twister on a Kansas farm, Munchkinland, the Emerald City and a balloon departure. So it’s easy to see why “Oz” is a challenging piece, and why this production is such a gas.

Luckily, The Grand and its co-sponsor, the Down East Family YMCA, have a reliable core of hard workers and talented performers. This show even introduces some new faces in the leads. Heather Astbury, familiar to local audiences in supporting roles, takes on Dorothy, and gives a performance filled with gusto. Her theatrical instincts are good, and she throws herself into a role that’s not easy to make fresh after all these years of watching Judy Garland. Astbury does borrow liberally from Garland, but stamps it with her own plucky style.

Ben Layman, Andy Beardsley and Harold Philbrook make up the team of farm hands turned Oz escorts, and each brings spunk and humor to their roles.

Eric Henry and Leslie K.A. Michaud, as Uncle Henry and Auntie Em, ably play the no-nonsense guardians to Dorothy. Later, Henry returns as the squabbling gate keeper at Oz, and is both convincing and snappy, and Michaud flies onto stage as Glinda, whose long blond wig makes her look more like Lady Godiva than a good witch.

Debra Hangge, as Miss Gultch-Wicked Witch, animates the roles with her fearless and amusing stage presence. And all the girls and boys as Munchkins fill the stage with their sparkling, circus-like energy.

The real joys, however, are the two smallest cast members. Five-year-old Travis Poulin plays a Munchkin, and does a magnetic job of keeping himself on line with the dance routines. He has one word in the play: He pronounces that the Wicked Witch of the East is not merely, but most sincerely, “dead.” It brings the house down every night.

The second star is Murray, an 8-month-old cairn terrier making his acting debut as Toto. In addition to being totally in the moment of every event, Murray has a particular taste for the hairy costume of the Cowardly Lion. On opening night, Murray barked, growled and lunged at the Lion. Unfortunately, but quite understandably, Murray’s scenes have been cut since then. He’s still in enough of them, though, to be an important part of the show’s fun.

If you’ve never seen this show live, this is the time to go. Stack and his Oz team — Stephen Norris the music director, Judy Savage the choreographer, Linda Grindle the costumer, Art Bousquet the technical director and a cast of more than 50 people — take you on an unforgettable walk down the yellow brick road.

“The Wizard of Oz” will be presented 7 p.m. Friday and Saturday, and 2 p.m. Saturday and Sunday March 22-24 at The Grand in Ellsworth. For information, call 667-9500.