The Wizard of Oz

Brierley Hill Musical Theatre Company (BHMTC) took on this well-known masterpiece with moments of passion, fun and delight. The amount of  work in producing this musical was obvious to see from the epic design, the projection (which had some excellent hints of showing a multi dimension) and the practical tasks of the hard working back stage crew! There must have been a lot of coordination going on behind the scenes. Truly amazing work.

Thank you ever so much to Ann Pollard for the warm welcome and hospitality to Brierley Hill Civic Hall this evening. The audience were a lively mixture of young and old and all settled with great intent as they were getting ready to be taken on a journey down the Yellow Brick Road. The programme was a delight to read as well, having facts about the original film was a nice touch and I instantly recognised some names and faces from BHMTC’s Aladdin production, back in January 2022!

The story goes a little like this, Dorothy and her dog Toto get taken away to the land of OZ in a thunderous storm and tornado where she meets wonderful characters such as a Scarecrow, a Tin Man and a Lion. There is also a Witch who would like to get her green hands on the ruby slippers which Dorothy accidentally inherits. Following the Yellow Brick Road to The Great Wizard of Oz so she can ask for his help in returning her home, there are some classic show stopping songs. Also, plenty of opportunities to smile with characters (such as talking trees) and a medley of hope, fear, good and evil! The ending leaves the unanswered question, if it was all a result of a concussion following the bump on Dorothy’s head after the storm, or did it actually really happen?

This production of Wizard of Oz was brought together by Jo Gresswell and Chris Psaras, a great combination of talent which was displayed throughout the evening with certain nuances and some wonderful technical consideration. The multimedia aspect of the show was ambitious but effective;  When it worked, it worked extremely well and gave the show that extra depth and this for me gave the show an extra level, energy and elements of surprise it needed.

Sally Evans and Rhi Luckins were the Choreographers who showed their skill in keeping it relevant and snappy with a nice bit of fun with “Jitterbug!” performed brilliantly by the cast. There were some lovely images which held the attention of the audience and kept the suspense.

Martin Francis was the Musical Director with Richard Skillbeck arranging and conducting the extremely talented orchestra. The music, like the multimedia aspect, combined with the lights and sound all created to the mood of the well thought out design.  

Some scenes were executed very well but some pace was slowed with some ambitious scene changes, with very little wing space this must have been challenging at times. Again, this deserves a massive congratulations in doing such a great job despite the space, the scale of the show must have demanded a lot from Peter Hazelwood (Stage Manager) and the backstage crew. For example, Glinda (The Good Witch) with her entrances were quite literally heart stopping!

The character of Glinda and Aunty Em was played by Katie May-Leach and Uncle Henry was played by Paul Smith who both contributed so much on the stage. Great casting choices.

There was also so much joy watching each member of the smiley Munchkin Chorus who gave the show lots of different dynamics with lots of enthusiasm, which was lovely to see.

The main character of Dorothy was played by Jess Skidmore. After seeing Jess perform a few times now, as Jasmine in Aladdin in January and also the character of Jessica in Enville Street Dramatic Society’s production of “A Bunch of Amateurs” in March, returning to the stage with an experienced presence and smile was delightful with a great voice as well. There was also good control of Toto the dog (played by George).

Having a live dog on stage playing Toto was the only way to do it and I am so pleased that George didn’t upstage (too much!) his human co-stars. George took to the role with ease and deserves an Oscar nomination!

The Scarecrow (James Luckins), The Tin Man (James Lawley) and The Lion (Tom Ruff) were simply great casting choices and complimented each other well but with some good distinction.

The characterisation of the floppy scarecrow was at times so convincing, there were a couple of times I actually thought James actually did trip over! James Lawley as The Tin Man played a very still and heavy character but with great expressions and a voice with good diction. Tom Ruff as The Lion reacted well to his surroundings and showed some great awareness with his comedy timing.

Steve Taylor as The Wizard of Oz was another great casting choice. There were some small beginnings of the build up to an eccentric character comparable to Willy Wonka. Steve in his appearance made me smile, but overall he acted with a naturalistic flare with the dialogue helping to establish the character as a little quirky.  

A special mention to Meg Luckins who played The Guard. This was a great part and this was performed well with a subtle comedy and style.

Finally, the star of the show was the incredible Connor Wilson who played The Wicked Witch of The West. When Connor first appeared on to the stage as Miss Gulch, I thought it was such a brilliant characterisation I was eagerly waiting for his incarnation of The Wicked Witch. I was not disappointed, there were some genuinely great moments and Connor totally owned the part and did it justice. He had accomplished a lot of work to get the pitch, accent and consistency right.

Thank you once again for your kind invitation and hospitality. The next planned show from Brierley Hill Musical Theatre company is Cinderella in 2023!

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