The Wizard Of Oz

 

Thank you for the warm welcome at South View Community Primary School. Your front-of-house team were excellent. Tom Joyce-Knowles, Kate and Jo Abraham, Nigel and Lilly Cross, Tina Powell, Charlotte Cureton and Lucy Cousins. Friendly, helpful welcoming. An eager crowd were excited to see the show the atmosphere was buzzing.

The Wizard Of Oz - L. Frank Baum’s classic novel comes to life in The Wizard of Oz. This pantomime adaptation by CADS features moments from the 1939 classic film, brought to life onstage. Young Dorothy Gale is swept away by a tornado from her Crowland (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 boots. To make it home safely, Dorothy must learn an important lesson: with heart and courage and good friends she can find her way home because...... there’s no place like home.

The set was colourful and imaginative. Designed and painted by Emma Shortland, Joanna Hobbs, James Pich, Hannah Sporton, Steff Scarborough-Mase and Jo-Anne Holland. The set was constructed by Steve Strickland, Nic Merryweather, and Michael Joyce-Knowles. The depiction of the farm in Texas, the wonderful magical land of Oz, the poppy fields and more enhanced the action on the stage and complimented the storyline artistically.

The show was slick and well-rehearsed, the backstage crew worked hard to keep scene changes as quick as possible and the pace of the show was good. Backstage were Nathan Snell (Stage Manager) and Nick Merryweather, Richard Wesley, and Steve Stickland. The chaperones ensured the youth members were on time and ready for their scenes. Christina Fisher and Sally Speechley were chaperones and I’d like to thank them for volunteering to be in this vital role as without them the youngster could not have participated.

The whole show was colourful and bright. This was enhanced by the many and varied costumes. As you would expect a huge team worked together to achieve the colourful look and they were, Jackie Parker, Jayne Munton, Tina Powell, Claire Thompson, Danielle Martin, Lucy Merryweather, and Jan Nicholls. The main characters' costumes were excellent, I particularly enjoyed the Lions and The Tin Man’s outfits, but every item on stage was appropriate and looked great. The children’s costumes looked comfortable and colourful, well done. The many and varied props were sourced or made by Lucy Merryweather, Maddie Hill, Nick Merryweather, and Alan Joyce.

The sound quality was very good, I could hear every word, and the lighting plot was also very good. Michael Joyce-Knowles (Tech Director), and Sam Annible, Tom Joyce-Knowles, and Henry Cross were the lighting technicians. I felt the use of colour and lighting effects enhanced the action on stage. My only criticism, which I hope you will take forward to your next production, is I felt the music numbers were individually too long. I felt that a verse and chorus were as long as each number required. This would have still enhanced the action but moved the plot along a little more swiftly.

Nancy Hill was a delightful Dorothy, with a confident performance and a wonderful singing voice. Hannah Melton played Aunt Em / Glinda, her quick changes, clear diction and lovely singing voice were perfect for her character. Scarecrow, Tin Man and Lion were played by John Martin, Jayne Munton, and Joanne Strickland. The characterisation was excellent, and the chemistry between them and Dorothy was lovely, well done.

For me, Carla Cole was a real highlight. Her diction, acting and characterisation were superb. I loved her repour with the audience and her chemistry with Glenda and Winkie was sometimes hilarious. The audience loved to hate her, yet in the end, she got the biggest applause. Another excellent performance was by Nigel Powell as the Wizard and Uncle Henry. I felt he embodied the character and his stage presence was excellent. Plus, a lovely singing voice too!

Little Toto played with wonderful body language and expression by Bella Merryweather. I loved her interactions with the audience and other characters, not an easy role, but played with maturity and feeling. Hollie Cousins, Keira McKernan and Ellie Wyness had a wonderful scene as fruit trees in Oz. They were word-perfect and had great timing and pace. The ghost was played by Joseph Jackson, his diminutive size was played upon to enhance the classic scene where the characters are picked off one by one and had the children (and adults) yelling all the way through.

The Ensemble had lots to do in this show. They were well rehearsed, gave well-executed complicated choreography and used good facial expressions and acting choices within every scene. I particularly like the Paparazzi number. The Flying Monkey scene was also a highlight. They all danced with huge energy. Winkie played by the well-cast Elizah Doonan, was cheeky and sassy throughout the show and I loved her light-up wings.

Director/Producers Lucy Merryweather and assistant John Munton have put a lot of effort into the show and I know that they are keen to ensure everyone in the company has fun through the whole rehearsal process. This shone out from the stage, the friendships and camaraderie were obvious to me. Thank you for meeting me after the show, it was lovely to get reacquainted with you all.

The programme and poster were lovely and colourful including all the appropriate NODA elements, so I will enter them into the yearly competition. I think the programme demonstrated the support from your community and I enjoyed the photographs and the information on the show and CADS. Well done Tom Joyce-Knowles, John Munton and Lucy Cousins.

Well done all, see you next year.

© NODA CIO.  All rights reserved 

© NODA CIO. All rights reserved.