The Wiz

Put fifty-one young people on a stage, a band of ten in the pit, add in lighting, sound and backstage crew and what do you get?  This production of The Wiz was excellent from start to finish.  This version of the story of The Wizard of OZ and Dorothy’s adventures is played out through a mix of rock, gospel, and soul music.  There were many aspects of this production that showed the excellent talent that Clydebank Musical Society’s young people have.  From munchkins to witches we were transported along the great adventure.  Dorothy, played by Evie McColgan had excellent vocal ability and along with her acting captured the audience’s attention as soon as she appeared on stage.  She maintained a high standard of performance throughout the show.   Meeting with the scarecrow played by Euan Reid, tinman played by Mark Morrison and lion played by Julia Ward, along the way gave us the opportunity to experience their stagecraft. Their talent in singing, acting and dance was of an extremely high standard and along with Dorothy told their story of getting to see The Wiz with great ease.  The talents of this cast didn’t stop there, as each principal brought a display of great vocal, acting and dance ability.  The pit singers new their stuff and sang all their numbers with confidence and the harmonies were not lost.  All aspects of this production ran smoothly from set changes to balance of sound and in particular the connection between the orchestra pit and the performers. An aspect of the production beyond the excellent performance standard that I would like to mention, was the lighting which was quite spectacular.  From the back cloth to the proscenium arch and yellow brick road passerelle, and everything in between had been well thought out, and coincided with musical cues where appropriate. This production was in very safe hands under the direction of Karen Docherty - Director, John Roy Garrod - Musical Director and Sally Hendry - Choreographer. Along with all the backstage crew, costumes, make-up, and hair that add to the overall quality of the production the audience was thoroughly entertained, and this was on opening night!  A lovely welcome from font of house just completed the excellent experience of visiting Clydebank Musical Society.  Well done!

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