"The Wizard of Oz"

The familiar 1939 film was adapted by John Kane for the Royal Shakespeare Company in 1987 and it is this version which this company has chosen here.  Most of the familiar songs from the MGM film are retained, with the bonus of a song in the second act (“The Jitterbug”) which was cut from the original but here provided a good opportunity for the cast to take the stage in a lively ensemble number.

They were, of course, led by young Dorothy. Sadie Sorensen is, we are told, around 10 years older than was Judy Garland in 1939, but her greater experience enabled her to put in an excellent, confident performance in a part which sees her on stage almost throughout. It turns out her day job involves teaching A-level students, perhaps an ideal background from which to develop Dorothy’s occasional feisty moments. Many a stage show opens with a full chorus number or, like Oklahoma!, a song at the very least, but here, after Herbert Stothart’s underscore accompanies the opening dialogue, the first musical item is a few minutes into the show, a solo for Dorothy in one of the best known songs in the whole of musical theatre.  An hour or so earlier we had heard of an imminent election and so the first words of the verse - “when all the world is a hopeless jumble” – perhaps had a certain significance.  

Her three companions on the yellow brick road were all splendidly played. Zander Fick arrived in York less than two years ago from South Africa, a long journey even if not exactly over the rainbow.  He made an excellent Tin Man, putting his heart and soul into his performance, despite claiming to lack the former. Adding to the international cast was Daan Janssen, born in the Netherlands, but now putting in a fine performance as the cowardly Lion, his performance of “If I were the King of the Forest” one of the highlights of the show.  Rachel Higgs made a lovely, lively scarecrow once freed from her post in the cornfield, with a twinkle in her eye and a smile on her face in all but the scariest of circumstances which befall the quartet. 

Jeanette Hunter appeared as Dorothy’s formidable teacher Miss Gulch, then reappearing as the Wicked Witch and quickly established herself as the villain of the piece.  One could easily see how her rather unflattering footwear led her to covet Dorothy’s ruby slippers.  In contrast, Elizabeth Gardner, as the much more kindly Glinda, Sorceress of the North, provided the necessary support for the travellers. I enjoyed Martyn Hunter’s performance and the way in which he used his years of stage experience to achieve great characterisations in the role of Professor Marvel/The Wizard.  Another to make the most of his part was Ben Caswell as the Emerald City Guard, an amusing cameo performance.  Marlena Keith and Robert Davies opened and closed the show as Auntie Em and Uncle Henry whilst Dorothy’s family was completed by her beloved Toto. It was a nice touch that the Kansas scenes, beginning and end, saw this part played by a very well-behaved Daisy whilst the longer fantasy section replaced her with a puppet, with a, perhaps understandably, rather puzzled expression on its face. This was expertly and sensitively handled by Adam Gill who joined in the proceedings at every opportunity.  An ensemble, sometimes trees, sometimes crows made the most of their appearances and an enthusiastic group of 14 Munchkins clearly enjoyed every moment they appeared, as did we.

The company was well supported by a fine ten-piece orchestra with some colourful costumes and scenery and some effective lighting.  Director Kathryn Addison has achieved a successful journey down the yellow brick road, ensuring any potholes were carefully avoided.  For our part, a couple of hours in the fantasy world of Oz provided much-needed relief from any “hopeless jumble” we might experience in the real world.                     

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