The Wizard of Oz

It was good to see the folks at Henley Players last night. The last time we were there was when they had kindly hosted their venue for my very successful District Awards last year.

This Panto was written by Charlotte; she had wanted “plenty of comedy, lively dancing and lots of singing” and she and her cast had certainly ticked all those boxes. Based on the traditional story we meet all the favourite characters. To begin, before the hurricane, we see younger versions of  Dorothy,  Toto, Scarecrow, Tin Man and the Lion.  All five were delightful characters and it was good to give them the experience and confidence of opening a show.  During the hurricane there was a good  UV scene as everything gets blown away and the characters actually travel through time a few years to reveal a grown-up Dorothy.  Molly Barnett played the lead and was very believable in her character which she played with warmth and affection and looked fabulous in her iconic costume.  She was accompanied by Aunt Em (Richard Ashby) in the role as comedy dame with her numerous comic costumes. Also with her dog Toto played by Tony Stokes. His quick fire  ‘dog talk’ was amusing and the treadmill scene was effective and gave the chorus a hard time keeping up with him.  

Al Rogers looked amazing in his Tin Man costume, a role he played with his usual good characterisation. Debby Knights was the kind and lovable Cowardly Lion and looked fabulous, perhaps awaiting her call up for Born Free!  Bev Pilbrough was the Scarecrow in her brilliant costume. She did well holding an unnatural floppy pose throughout. The Wicked Witch played by Sharon Hulm attacked her character with energy and was accompanied by her fierce looking  ‘Hench Person’ Karla Bartlett. The Good Witch (Sarah Doherty) played opposite them, ensuring good prevailed over evil.  Norman Lloyd  was Uncle Henry and as a voice over for the Wizard. The comedy  duo were Scratch It and Sniff (DavidBartlett and Hayley Gavin) These two happy characters came across well and  looked like they were thoroughly enjoying  their roles together, very well done.

There was a good mix of songs but I particularly like their version of ‘Sing’ written by Gary Barlow.  Bev Pilbrough and her daughter Amy both knew how to sign and they had taught all the young ‘Munchinkins’ to sign this song whilst performing it. I found it quite emotional, so very well done to them all. Bev had  been a busy lady as she had also put together  some good choreography.  The cast certainly put lots of energy into all their numbers and especially their version of ‘12 Days of Christmas’ which was very comical.

All the costumes looked really good and colourful and the set completed the ambience. It was a good, happy, funny, family show which was thoroughly enjoyed by us and their supportive audience. The cast put lots of energy and enthusiasm into their performance, in front of their sell out audience. Well done to them all and to Charlotte and all her production team.  We always get such a warm welcome and it’s a pleasure to come and support you all. Thank you for your hospitality.

© NODA CIO. All rights reserved.