The Wizard of Oz

D.E CAVERSMILL THEATRE COMPANY   –   THE WIZARD OF OZ

Wednesday 15th January 2022 

The Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum, with music and lyrics by Harold Arlen and E.Y. Harburg.  Background music by Herbert Stothart. Dance and vocal arrangements by Peter Howard. Orchestration by Larry Wilcox. Adapted by John Kane for The Royal Shakespeare Company. Based upon The Classic Motion Picture owned by Turner Entertainment Co. and distributed in all media by Warner Bros. 

Brought to the Rep’s stage by DE Caversmill Theatre Company. The musical overture was to full tabs fully stamping the true classic credentials of this much cherished show. The opening tabs reveal a very apt backdrop, prairie house, a relatively spartan but really fitting set.

Dorothy - Grace Rowley; looked like she’d walked straight off the film set. Lovely voice and despite her cute doggie Toto - Lola, almost stealing every scene, Grace carried the role very well indeed, lovely thoughtful interaction with the rest of the cast.

Aunt Em and Uncle Henry, Nikki Barton, and Alex Baines respectively, running the farm, with the aid of farm hands Hunk, Hickory and Zeke, all friends to Dorothy, meanwhile their horrid neighbour Almira Gulch, wants to have Toto dealt with by the local Sheriff for allegedly biting her.

An almighty storm blowing the house away with Dorothy and Toto inside, off to a strange land called Oz. A land where very different peoples reside, all living in fear of the Wicked Witches, the house comes to earth landing on the Wicked Witch of the East, the locals hail Dorothy as a saviour from her evil tyranny, she is met by Glinda - Siobhan Hammond, gifting her the witches ruby shoes, lovely voice, looking fabulously resplendent in her beautiful gown.

Dorothy wanting to return to her aunt and uncle enlists her help, sending her on a quest wearing the magic ruby shoes. There was a great deal of background music, presumably contractually required to be heard in full which lengthened the production.   We follow Dorothy along the Yellow Brick Road, first meeting Scarecrow /Hunk - Wesley Walker. Posted against a bird covered fence Great introduction with a black bird puppet chorus, this was a nice touch.

Next on their journey, Tin-Man/Hickory - Martin Popov. Very well thought out slick choreography during this scene. Choreographer Imogen Crowther showcased both full and individual cast members with her movement throughout the show.

The Cowardly Lion/Zeke - Dan Dayle. A lovely tender performance, Dan showed real heart in the role. Great animation and movement from all involved in the Of To See The Wizard scenes.

The awful Almira Gulch/Wicked Witch of the West - Chris Lockett. Excellently evil portrayal of both characters, adding a real menace to the production. You feared for the occupants of Oz had she succeeded in her dastardly plans.

Professor/Oz - Ben Ward. The Smoke and Mirrors scene worked well.

The start of Act II with the “Merry Old Land of Oz” was excellent, full cast number, the tap dance was a welcome touch, great to see live tapping.

All the classic movie songs are in there, maybe just a seating issue, I felt the backing music was a little too loud, at times in places overshadowing the solo singing voices and dialogue.

Costumes throughout were fabulous, leads actors especially, I must also mention the Jitterbug costumes and number really stood out. Good supporting cast shone in the full cast numbers. Unfortunately, several technical and sound gremlins marred the performance on the night we watched, that said this can be a black art, I’ve seen professional shows with similar issues.

I know the show must go on; however, our thoughts are with Director Ian Hill and co-producer wife Debs, under a great deal of personal stress currently with his dad Alan, who we have known for over forty years, seriously ill in hospital, coupled with Melanie Fox-Crowther, unable to work her usual vocal magic on the cast, very much an integral part of the DE Caversmill production team being down through a major operation.

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