The Wizard of Oz

Tonight, I had the pleasure of visiting the wonderful Lyceum Theatre in Crewe again for the near sell out production of The Wizard of Oz by Acton AOS.  This was my first time to see a show by Acton AOS and if this is the standard of all their shows then I cannot wait to come back to see their next production!  We all know and love this iconic story that explores the themes of love, courage and common sense through the narrative of the protagonist, Dorothy.  Whilst I have seen this production be updated and explored through new concepts, it was nice to see it be done truthfully by going back to its roots (The director set this version traditionally).  Having a cast of over 60 is no mean feat but its clear to see the hard work and dedication that has gone into this production and every member was part of a well oiled and well drilled machine!

Caroline Coles took on the role of director for this production.  A first-time director for Acton AOS, it’s clear to see how and why Caroline wanted to stamp her mark.  For me, there were a few misses but mostly there were a majority of hits.  I didn’t like the opening of the show.  Having a group of (un-mic’d) singers come onstage, sing part of a song whilst a few dancers were doing ballet, and then go off again, was a bit of a dull opening.  I felt that the show possibly should’ve started with the overture to set the tone of the evening, rather than having these visuals, or perhaps they could’ve been working on the farm whilst they were singing?  Apart from that, I liked the direction of this piece.  I’m normally a big fan of new concepts and out of the norm ideas but I loved the fact that this show was done traditionally.  It was visually stunning and a great family night at the theatre.  I have no doubt that this society has created a whole new fan base because of the vision of Caroline and the society.  A few other directorial tweaks for me were that some of the scene changes were a little long, the staging of whole cast songs was a little obvious, and the fact that some characters used English accents and broke the fourth wall - but overall, I really enjoyed this show and the audience certainly loved it too!

Musical Direction was by Treona Holden, an accomplished MD who I have heard before and loved.  Whilst the orchestra sounded lovely and was a lovely traditional accompaniment to the traditional piece on stage, I felt that the overall musical direction lacked energy.  For me, it seemed that the numbers were a little slower than normal and that the cast were eager to get on with their energy and commitment but were constantly pulled back due to the tempo of the songs.  I have performed in this show before and I suspect that some of the tempo’s were altered slightly for this production and for me, it didn’t work.  The singing and the harmonies (along with the orchestra) sounded great but most of the ensemble couldn’t be heard because they weren’t mic’d. 

Whilst I enjoyed the staging of Jitterbug and The Poppy Field, I felt that most of the choreography was obvious and lacked energy.  This is not in any way a reference to the brilliant dancers but to the overall innovation to the choreography and staging.  The dancers were brilliant and a joy to watch.  I particularly loved the bits with the ballet girls ‘en pointe’.  I appreciate that it must be very hard to stage routines for over forty children, however, it felt obvious and slightly ‘dance schooly’ – this may be down to the fact that the tempo of the songs was a little lacklustre?

For me, the lighting was outstanding!  I love, love, loved the lighting design.  From the red beam on the sand-timer to the spots on the gargoyles, I thought that the lighting design was flawless.  I loved the colours used for each scene and the choice of lights, gels, and gobos to convey location, time and setting (The Twister).  Well done!

From where I was sitting (under the circle) the sound was generally poor.  I felt that the balance between cast mics, the orchestra and the audience was off.  Again, this might’ve been just where I was sitting (and I’m being very picky).  There was a problem with the mic for The Guard, which wasn’t working at all.

The costumes were excellent!  I loved the choice of costumes, the colours used and the concepts behind them.  If any society out there is thinking of doing a production of The Wizard of Oz then you need to hire these costumes!  I appreciated the browns and creams used in the farm scenes and how they were a great counterbalance to the costumes in Oz.  I particularly loved the costumes for Miss Gultch/Wicked Witch!

Equally outstanding was the set!  Visually stunning!  I was a little worried, at times during scene changes, when the fly’s were flown in at an alarming rate, that someone was going to get seriously hurt, however, when the lights came up, each scene was a visual treat.  I have to say that the Haunted Forest scene was simply stunning!  The lights, costumes, set and direction all came together to create an outstanding visual!

Gemma O’Donnell played the iconic role of Dorothy.  I thought that Gemma was well cast in the role and gave the right amount of passion, commitment and vulnerability to engage the audience throughout.  Gemma is a great actress with lovely vocals. 

Sean Johnson-Hargreaves played the role of The Scarecrow.  Whilst overall, I enjoyed Sean’s performance, I would’ve preferred a more silly, dim-witted side to the character.  I can tell that Sean is a great actor with lovely vocals, I just felt that it was a little too truthful and understated for this role.  I am however being really picky here, both myself, and the audience, enjoyed his performance very much.

Benjamin Stubbs played the role of The Tin Man.  Again, I liked Ben’s interpretation of this role, but I felt that Ben’s lack of projection and the way that he devoiced at the end of sentences took away some of the hard work that he was giving onstage.

Adam Goode as The Lion was brilliant!  Every time Adam came on stage I felt relaxed and the audience were treated to a brilliant characterisation.  The audience (and I) loved Adam’s performance and the energy and commitment he gave to his character.  Well done Adam.

Deborah Cornock played the role of the Wicked Witch brilliantly.  Whilst Deborah’s interpretation was very similar to that of Margaret Hamilton from the film version, it was appropriate, and she brought a great commitment to her role.  I totally believed her character and liked the physicality and vocality that she brought.  Well done Deborah!

Uncle Henry was played by Pete Johnson.  Pete had good diction and articulation and even though he wasn’t on stage for long, I appreciated the energy he brought.

Steven Coles played The Wizard.  Steven had good energy and projection.  I personally would’ve preferred a little more buffoonery to this characterisation, but Steven did well throughout.

Susan Dodd played the role of Auntie Em.  I liked the motherly overtones that she brought to Auntie Em.  Susan had good diction, articulation and projection and I felt that she really cared for Dorothy.

Dean Cornock played the role of The Guard.  Whilst a small role, I like this part as there is so much humour and comedy that an actor can bring.  I felt that lots of the humour was lost due to Dean’s microphone not working tonight.  This negatively impacted on the comedy and the storyline.  Dean did well to try and project his lines to counteract this. 

Shannon Webb played the role of Glinda.  I liked the physicality that Shannon brought to the role.  I believed that she was a good witch and she had command of the stage when she entered.  I felt that Shannon talked upstage a lot which meant that we lost lots of her lines.  I also felt that Shannon wig covered her face too much which meant that it was even harder to see and hear her. 

The rest of the company were fab.  I really did enjoy this show and I thought that it would’ve been a great piece of theatre to bring my children to.  I thought that it was visually stunning, and I loved all of the extra touches that the director brought (The special effects) etc.  Overall, this show was a great success and it’s not hard to see why both shows tomorrow are a sell out!  I thank Acton A.O.S for their wonderful hospitality and I look forward to returning again for their next production! 

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