Noah Aberlin enjoys all the comparisons to Ray Bolger, but he insists that his “Scarecrow” is his own creation. His and L. Frank Baum’s and W.W. Denslow’s that is, and Noel Langley’s and Florence Ryerson’s.

Baum wrote “The Wonderful Wizard of Oz” in 1900 with Denslow’s assistance, and Langley and Ryerson penned the screenplay for the 1939 MGM musical, “The Wizard of Oz,” that was based on Baum’s book. The stage version of the story, with Aberlin as the Scarecrow, will be at Proctors for five shows beginning Friday at 2 p.m. and concluding Sunday afternoon at 2.

The movie made big stars out of Judy Garland as Dorothy, Bert Lahr as the Cowardly Lion, Jack Haley as the Tin Man and Bolger as the Scarecrow. As synonymous as Bolger remains with that character, Aberlin went out of his way not to emulate him and to create his own Scarecrow.

“I get a lot of Ray Bolger compliments, and that’s fine,” said Aberlin, a Brooklyn native who majored in theater at Syracuse University. “But I’m not trying to imitate what he does in the movie. Once I found out I got the role, I went back and watched the movie once, but then I made an effort to redevelop the character in rehearsal. The script is pretty much the same as the movie, and some of the movements are the same, but I’m not out there trying to copy the way Ray Bolger did it.”

Familiar story

This current national touring production, which is coming off a holiday break after beginning its run four months ago in Gainesville, Fla., is using the Royal Shakespeare script that was produced in 1987. But it’s still “The Wizard of Oz” that everyone will be familiar with.

“They do a few things differently, but they based their version on the book and the movie. So 85 percent of what you saw in the movie, you’ll see on stage,” said Aberlin. “The scenery is going to be a little bit different, and there is a number called “The Jitterbug” that was cut from the movie that they put back in the stage show. It’s mostly the same songs, and maybe a few new things from the book, but it’s still ‘The Wizard of Oz.’ The audience response so far has been great.”

Aberlin said the opportunity to play the Tin Man or the Cowardly Lion would have been interesting, but he was naturally drawn toward the part of the Scarecrow.

“I definitely wanted to play the Scarecrow,” he said. “I have a lot of gymnastics in my background, as well as dance. That part was the one that was calling out to me most.”

Aberlin will be making his second appearance on the Proctors stage, having appeared in the ensemble in “The Producers” two years ago. Jason Simon, who was Max Bialystock in that production, plays the Cowardly Lion, while Cassie Okenka is Dorothy, and Chris Kind plays the Tin Man.

“Jason Simon certainly gets a lot of laughs, and he is a very funny guy,” said Aberlin. “It’s been great working with the entire cast. We’re all having a lot of fun, and this whole experience has been a real blessing for me.”

Aberlin started dancing when he was 5, and quickly discovered he loved performing in musicals.

“I would make my parents sit down and watch me perform,” remembered Aberlin. “I’d dance terribly to old ’80s music, but as I got into high school, I started doing some musicals and got some real positive feedback from people. That’s when I first started thinking about doing this as a profession, and I soon made the decision to go to Syracuse for musical theater.”

Now 26, he has never second-guessed his career decision.

“I’ve done a few things in New York, an off-off Broadway show, a lot of regional stuff and some national tours,” said Aberlin. “I’ve been out of Syracuse for four and a half years now, and things have been going really well.”

Aberlin was also in a New York City Opera production of “Candide,” which challenged him vocally.

“I’ve always been good at dancing and falling around on stage, but singing was one of the last things to come to me,” he said. “But I’ve had a lot of great teachers, and I’ve worked on my voice a lot. People are telling me it sounds good.”

This touring production of the show will run through June.

“I’m all set through June, and then we’ll have to see what happens,” said Aberlin. “It’s hard to say where I’m going to be. I could be with another run of this show, or I could be back in New York auditioning for something else.”

If he does sign on for another national tour of “The Wizard of Oz,” Aberlin said he’ll enjoy every minute of it.

“This is a great show, and I fell in love with it way back when I was a kid,” he said. “I think that one line, ‘there’s no place like home,’ is why so many people continue to love the story. When you hear it, it really hits home. It’s a classic. Parents want to bring their kids to see it, grandparents want to make sure their grandchildren see it, and everybody wants to see it again for themselves. It doesn’t get old.”

First production

Baum’s story was first produced on stage in Chicago just two years after his book hit the market. The show was a smash and moved to New York, where it ran on Broadway for almost all of 1903.

The 1939 movie, with new music added to it by Harold Arlen and E.Y. Harburg, remained true to Baum’s book version much more than the 1902 stage production. It won two Oscars and had four more nominations, and was re-released theatrically in 1949 and ’55. From 1959 to 1991, the movie version was shown at least once a year on television, usually around Easter.

The World of Dance from Albany won the right to perform as munchkins in the Proctors production, beating out five other Capital Region dance troupes.