The Wizard Of Oz

What a night! Thank you all for making me and my guest feel so welcomed at The Palace Theatre in Newark last night. My first visit to this delightful theatre, a beautiful historic building that has been well maintained and indeed updated for access and including lifts and ramps. The staff at on duty were responsive and welcoming, I know how hard you have all worked to support NAOS to bring this show to the stage and Carys Coulton-Jones (Business Manager) et al should be very proud of all your efforts. FOH – Chris Smith, John Smith, Barbara Seymour, and Pete Seymour.

Rita Crowe, (Chairman NAOS) met us and we had a lively chat about the way amateur theatre has been affected by the pandemic. Indeed, this show was due to be staged 2 years ago, (a long 4 years in the making!) With very few changes Oz is finally here, and the excitement was palpable.  We met other official guests who included District Councillor Mrs Sue Saddington, Mayor Mr Geadwell and other councillors of Newark and Sherwood Council.  It was so good to see everyone supporting the arts and particularly NAOS.  The future seems bright for amateur societies in Newark. Very well done for fostering these links and having the courage to support the theatre, especially in this time of austerity.

The Wizard Of Oz - L. Frank Baum’s classic novel comes to life in The Wizard of Oz. This faithful adaptation by NAOS features all the most beloved songs and moments from the 1939 classic film, brought to life on stage. Young Dorothy Gale is swept away by a tornado from her Kansas farm to the magical land of Oz. There, she encounters a host of whimsical characters: good witches, bad witches, animals that talk, scarecrows that walk, and things magical to behold. To find her way home, she must journey along the Yellow Brick Road to see the mysterious and all-powerful Wizard in Emerald City. Along the way, she makes new friends, but must also brave many dangers, including the Wicked Witch of the West, who will stop at nothing to get her hands on Dorothy’s magical ruby slippers. To make it home safely, Dorothy must learn an important lesson: there’s no place like home.

Mike Follen (director) had the vision to bring a well-loved film to the stage.  His concept was wonderfully brought to life, with imaginative direction, layered elements with superb pace and skill.  4 years in the making, yet fresh and enchanting on the very first night. I thought the whole show was magnificent. Very well done.

Dorothy played by Christina Riley, was well cast, and beautifully voiced plus she has the energy and manner of the original (Judy Garland) film.  I loved her costume and enjoyed the delightful relationship she had with Toto and the other characters in this well-loved story.  Toto played by Pepe, (trained and handled by Nicci Hindson and owned by Janina Sulek) gave a masterful performance as the lovable and mischievous Toto, his second role on stage. I felt the director (Mike Follen) got the balance just right, his appearances underscored the story without taking over the action.

The Munchkins played by pupils from Chuter Ede Primary School and Lowe’s Wong Junior School were all amazing. They handled the choreography and action really well, they were delightfully professional in their acting.  I felt their characterisation and body language were excellent and they were well coached on the harmonies and stagecraft.  Chaperones must have been required to ensure the younger members of the cast were looked after and presented to the stage on time.  They are not named in the program, but I would like to thank them as without their support the young people could not have performed.

The other main characters were all fantastic. Dorothy first meets the scarecrow, played by William Dewick. His reactions and body loose language were perfect, I could tell he had a dance background. The lyrical way he played this lovable friend, his voice was lovely both spoken and singing and this created a well-rounded charismatic Scarecrow. Next, we meet Tinman played by Justin Day a long standing member of NAOS. As soon as Justin started singing, I knew we were in for a treat, ‘If I Only Had Heart’, was brought to life and along with the trees, Roseann Edis, Sara Leaton and Rebecca Leggott, made a super scene. The acting, body language and music elements all coming together really well. Peter Merrick was an absolute star as the Cowardly Lion. The lion suit was delightful, his mannerisms and body language told the story so well, but what a voice! Peter’s comic timing was excellent, his engagement with the audience was very amusing and ‘the lion sleeps tonight’ joke, brilliant! So, the four main characters are off on a journey to see the wizard.

Julia Raine, thank goodness you are not afraid of heights! Your wonderful voice with suitable accent for Auntie Em, then add in your superb acting as Glinda despite being up on the set, plus your lovely singing voice encapsulated a masterful performance. I would have liked to see more of you onstage. James Fry a relatively newcomer to NAOS, played the Great Wizard himself. A well-rounded performance, lovable yet elusive. A part that required a sensitive touch, which James achieved. Rachel Mowbray was excellent as Miss Gulch and Wicked Witch of the West. Superb over-the-top acting, just right for this role and great facial expressions and accent for both roles.  How lovely to get to use a trap door! Very well managed, challenging stage directions and the ability to fill the stage with her evil persona was excellent. Another lovely role was the city guard and Uncle Henry, played by Ollie Kirkwood. His energy and attitude were just right for the role and I enjoyed his interactions with the other characters.

Technically this was a complicated show. The audience may not have noticed the layering, the unique projection, the silent way the set moved about the stage, the lighting and sound plot, and the different moods that were created, but I saw a lot of hard work coming together to enhance this production.  The imaginative use of projection, hired elements of staging and adaptable, movable stage pieces all worked their magic on the audience as they were manipulated by the skilled backstage team. Stage Managers - Anthony Cregg and Chris Mann, DSM - Dawn Stubbs, Crew - Kathryn Cregg, Mike Spendlow, Danny Knowles, Rob Hughes, Jordan Follen, and Tom Leggott worked swiftly and silently to achieve the slick scene changes.  The technical team at The Palace Theatre were lighting – Mark Noutch, sound – Marc Peters, with Jeremy Rowe, Nathan Bateman, Tony Kaempf, Nigel Metcalfe, Chai Smithson, Conor Thompson Hayes, Ian Todd, Chris Hoyer, and Christopher West.  It was lovely to be allowed to see the stage and chat to you all after the show, thank you. Justin Day’s visual elements were clever and had a contemporary feel. I have no idea of how many hours would have gone into creating these visuals, but I was impressed by the scope and skills demonstrated. Justin also put the program and publicity together. I was very impressed by the imagery, the embossed cover, the choice of the content and the photography included.  I will put this one forward for the regional program competition. Well done.

Choreography was created by Natasha Wade – choreography is a huge part of any musical, and Wizard of Oz is no exception.  All the dance numbers were interesting, fun and enhanced the story well. I particularly liked the Jitterbug routine, I saw elements of other classic jazz films including The Red Shoes choreographed by Lar Lubovitch. A unique segway into the jazz rhythm which the choreography enhanced beautifully.  I felt you had worked cohesively with the rest of the team to produce  the well-rounded ensemble pieces with exquisite timing and pace. The Ensemble were outstanding in all their numbers. I particularly enjoyed the crows, (Simon Burgess, Scarlett Follen, Ollie Kirkwood and Jade Mulligan), they had lovely costumes and excellent movements, the poppies, the snowflakes were also beautifully portrayed. The monkeys were enhanced by terrific costumes and masks (by Luke Robb), the Winkies and Osians all moved really well. Well done to Abi Bayes, Simon Burgess, Pippa Catt, Jodie Cherrill-Burroughs, Sarah Chrimes, Hollie Clutterbuck, Lucy Dale, Jessica Dewick, Roseann Edis, Scarlett Follen, Nicci Hinson, Rob Hughes, Sarah Leaton, Rebecca Leggott, Mel Mallett, Paul Marples, Jade Mulligan, Nicholas Oliver and Katy Stafford. I could feel your enthusiasm and joy when you were on stage. The camaraderie that comes from performing on stage together, was palpable.

Gary Wyatt – Musical Director tackled the musical score effortlessly.  The well-known themes were wonderfully played and the pace, and harmonies were excellent. The orchestra played brightly and from the first note of the overture to the final flourish after the walkdowns, had the appreciative audience spellbound. Piano – Linday Follen who was also the rehearsal pianist and AMD, Bass – Richard Green, Drums – Jonathan Bayes, Flute – Libby Wyatt, Oboe – Helen Bailey, Reeds – Alan Walker, Rebecca Bayes and Mary Molson, Trumpets – Rob Deakin and Glenn Brailsford, Horn – Andy Garner, Trombone/Tuba – Dave Chambers, Harp/Keyboard – Ben Stevenson, Violins – John Wright and Sarah Bongiovani, Viola – Sarah Chambers and Cello – Rachel Hill.

Costuming for this production was imaginative, colourful, and characterful.  Hilary Ragsdale made a huge number of the costumes and as one of the not so young members of the team said that keeping up with the amount of items required kept the old grey matter ticking over.  Properties and specialist costume Stacy Hollands, who made many elements and sourced many more. She made the excellent Tin Man outfit, along with masks, feet, wings and the colourful Jitterbug outfits.

Thank you for staying after the show to meet me. I felt the warmth from everyone I met, including members of NAOS committee, the cast and crew and the theatre team. It was lovely to put faces to names of some of the long standing NODA members and to meet the youngest and newest of you too. I wish you every success with your run for the rest of the week and look forward to meeting you again when you stage Clue - The Musical in October at The Robin Hood Theatre in Averham.  It was so lovely to see that amateur theatre is well supported in Newark.

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