The Wizard of Oz

Fresh from their brilliant production of The Fantastic Mr Fox earlier this year, Congleton Amateur Youth Theatre are back with another hit – The Wizard of Oz.  Director Louise Colohan has a clear vision which is inventive, imaginable and wonderous.  The first thing that hits you as the curtains open is the distinct lack of set and colour.  Louise has paid homage to the film version of this musical throughout which starts off in black and white before becoming a colourful explosion when we’re not in Kansas anymore.  The purpose-built white set was the perfect creation for the outstanding projections that created the varying locations and interactive backdrops.  The set, projections and staging of this piece of theatre was simply outstanding and a fantastic concept.  A special mention has to go to Simon Matthews for his projections!   The yellow brick road jigsaw pieces were a wonderful concept and linked in with the projections.  Apart from a general lack of diction and articulation from members of the cast, this production gave the audience the tools it needed to laugh, cry and sing along to the array of hits.  The supportive audience were very much captivated, and we were thoroughly entertained throughout.  I could tell that a lot of work has gone into characterisation and humour within the subtext and this was carried off beautifully from the main cast and supporting cast.  Some of the accents from individuals were a little weak and for me, there was a distinct lack of singing to tell a story or further the plot.  At times, it felt like individuals were standing singing a song with no storytelling.  Despite this, the costumes, set, projections and lighting made this a visual delight and the hard work from the cast and crew has certainly paid off.  I loved the direction.  From the small Easter eggs such as the NODA Newspapers to the sublime pace and characterisation – everything just worked.  Well done to Louise Colohan for her fine work.

The choreographer for this piece was Sam Sherliker.  Whilst I felt that some of the choreography was a little limited for some of the more accomplished dancers, what I loved was that all of the dances were fully inclusive for all.  I especially loved the choreography when the three crows were dancing with the three trees.  The Merry old Land of Oz and the Jitterbug were strong dances also and really stood out.

The musical director for this piece was Mike Richardson.  This production used tracks throughout which meant that it was potentially hard for the cast to stick strictly to the timings, but this never seemed a problem.  The tracks that were used were very good and contained an array of orchestral instruments.  The cast sang some lovely harmonies in parts too.

The costumes were brilliant.  They helped establish character, location and helped the overall concept of this famous piece of work.  The tree costumes were very good, as were the costumes for the main cast.  I wasn’t a massive fan of the wig for Glinda, but this is just personal preference.  The make-up for the main cast was very good also, especially for the Tinman and the Lion. 

The lighting and sound were both very good.  The lighting in particular was great in adding to the overall tension, tone and layering of each scene.  At times the sound was a little loud which made it slightly hard to hear the lyrics and tap dancing but again, this is just personal preference.

Dorothy was played by Lucy Picken.  Lucy was well cast and showed some of the same characteristics as Judy Garland’s version of this character.  At times, Lucy looked very scared and kept looking at the floor.  She also sang the song as a song rather than a monologue.  Despite this, Lucy had lovely vocals and showed some lovely acting traits within scenes. 

The Scarecrow/Hunk was played by William Vickers.  William was funny and entertaining throughout however I found his constant movements in scenes very distracting, However, I cannot fault his commitment to characterisation.  William showed good comic timing and had a nice rapport with his castmates.

The Tin Man/Hickory was brilliantly played by Oliver Rhodes.  Oliver’s first scene when he was being oiled was mesmerising and Oliver displayed brilliant physicality (which he maintained throughout) and had great comic timing.  Oliver displayed some lovely vocals too.

The star of the show for me was Oscar Eckersley’s The Cowardly Lion.  He had everything.  Commitment to character, confidence, light and shade, great comic timing and delivery, lovely vocals and he thoroughly entertained the audience throughout.  Well done Oscar!

Alex Wilson (The Wizard/Professor Marvel) gave a nice performance.  He had great diction and articulation and projected really well.  His delivery of the lines was good also.  The Wicked Witch of the West was played by Ellie Shirley.  Ellie used her voice very well to convey this character and had a really good stage presence.  I would’ve preferred the energy to be carried all the way through each line and for more energy overall but I’m being very picky here.  She was entertaining to watch.

Glinda was played by Summer Pass who had some nice vocals.  Her delivery was more of a singer rather than a storyteller.  Mathilda Gill did well as the busy body Miss Gultch.  It would’ve been nice to see some character traits of the witch in her performance, but I understand why it wasn’t there (different actress).  A highlight for me were the three boys played the Crows/Winkies.  Charlie House, Harry Gill and Arran Johnstone were funny, light-hearted, displayed great comedy skills and were brilliantly entertaining!!

Overall, this was a strong production.  The directorial concepts gave it an extra edge and made it stand out from the norm.  A couple of pointers to the general cast are to try and maintain the accents throughout, particularly the vowel sounds, treat the songs like they are monologues – I would much rather see an actress who can sing, rather than a singer who struggles to connect with the lyrics, and finally, lose your inhibitions and just enjoy what you do (Charlie House has this and more)!  Well done on a great production and I cannot wait to return to The Daneside Theatre next year to see your next production of The Lion, Witch and the Wardrobe!

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