The Wizard of Oz

The yellow brick road was beckoning in Worcester as the young performers of WODYS set off to see the Wizard in their production of the classic musical The Wizard of Oz.  This made for a wonderfully fun, colourful evening, full of enchanting songs and great dancing. 

The Wizard of Oz, of course, tells the tale of Dorothy Gale, whisked away from her Kansas home to a magical land through which she journeys along with companions Scarecrow, Tinman and Cowardly Lion, in search of the mythical Wizard, apparently the only person who can help her return home.  Meanwhile, the Wicked Witch of the West seeks revenge for her sister, accidentally crushed to death when Dorothy’s house crash lands on top of her. 

Kate Sutton was absolutely spot on as Dorothy, looking and sounding the part and bringing great vitality to the role.  It must have been quite daunting to have to perform ‘Over the Rainbow’, with its famous octave leap, so early on in the show, but Kate made it look easy, giving a wonderfully authentic and controlled performance.  She continued in that vein throughout, holding the stage confidently and leading the audience through the tale in style.  She even managed to cope with scene-stealing companion Woody as Toto – it’s no mean feat to keep up that level of performance with a dog – unpredictable as they can be – to also take care of.  Once the action relocated to Oz, Woody was wisely replaced with a puppet version, expertly handled by Aadil Din, before making his triumphant return at the play’s close!

Dorothy’s Uncle Henry and Aunt Em were played by Reddon Posey and Sophie Maidens respectively, two good performances that really came into their own during the storm scene, where their rising panic at their inability to locate Dorothy was convincingly portrayed.  The storm itself was rendered using a sepia-toned film projected onto a large screen at the rear of the stage.  This worked well, although I did think quite a long time passed before their house began to move, which meant that the projection was partially obscured for most of its duration.  The house itself was really well constructed and looked great (well done to the backstage team).

On arrival in Oz, Dorothy’s house flattened the Wicked Witch of the East (although her legs and feet projected from inside the house, rather than under it), summoning the Wicked Witch of the West (Lucy Cobban, doubling, as is traditional, as Miss Gulch.)  Lucy embodied this iconic character perfectly, full of anger as she swore retribution against Dorothy and Toto.  Meanwhile, on the good witch side, Lily Beeson was perfectly perky as Glinda, popping up at just the right moments to help our heroine along. 

Dorothy’s arrival in Oz provided an opportunity for the excellent ensemble to make their mark, as a horde of welcoming munchkins, resplendently clad in blue and white costumes that also showed great variety.  Superb work by costume designer Mary Beechey.  There was some great movement during the munchkin’s songs, testament to the hard work of the well-drilled performers, as well as choreographers Rachel Price and Katie McNamee.

Once Dorothy had set off down the yellow brick road, it wasn’t long before she met the Scarecrow, played by Alfie Thompson who showed great physicality, making great use of his long limbs, and a comic timing which quickly endeared him to the audience.  Ellis Harding was next up as Tin Man, another good physical performance, maintaining those stiff limbs throughout and showing plenty of heart.  Completing the gang was Sam Skyrme’s Cowardly Lion, full of bustling energy and with some nice nods to the movie version as he challenged all-comers to ‘put ‘em up!’ 

Along their journey, Dorothy and her friends met a trio of amusingly sassy apple trees (Sophie Maidens, Summer Geary and Rameesha Ajmal), a gang of snarky crows (Jack Cunningham, Mortimer Dykes and Ralph Francis), and a dangerous field of poppies, well represented by the dancers in a charming ballet.  The yellow brick road itself was cleverly projected onto the surface of the stage, and the electronic screen at the rear displayed various colourful scenes throughout, which added really nicely to the atmosphere. 

The second half took us into the Emerald City via a very impressive set of gates, ably guarded by Leo Gillett, an initially hostile but ultimately friendly face to our heroes.  There were more great, emerald-themed costumes on display, and Leo and the ensemble pulled out all the stops for a rousing ‘Merry Old Land of Oz’.

The great and powerful Oz was played by Toby Charles, who was also seen in the first half as the eccentric Professor Marvel.  Toby did a fine job in his first performance for WODYS, especially during his final scenes as he haplessly sailed off in his balloon, leaving poor Dorothy behind.  Before that, however, the Wicked Witch had to be vanquished.  This was effectively achieved, although it was a bit of a shame that there was no water (or something to represent water) in the bucket for Dorothy to throw.  I liked the controlled yet humorous portrayal of the Witch’s guards, the Winkies, with their march and chant; and there was also a fabulous (not to mention exhausting-looking) ‘Jitterbug’ dance routine in which the whole team excelled – a show highlight for me. 

The play was ably directed by David Humphries and his assistant Laura Fullelove, who made great use of the space on stage whilst always keeping a focus on Dorothy and friends. Most of the performers used American accents throughout, which I understand given the source material.  However, if I may offer a small note, this rendered some of the lines a little difficult to understand, especially when delivered quickly (and wasn’t, strictly speaking, necessary once we got to Oz).  But the singing was of a really high quality throughout, ably assisted by a faultless nine-piece band, expertly marshalled by Musical Director Harriet Amos.

This was a production full of life and energy and colour, featuring a host of great performances from its young cast, who appropriately showed lots of brains, heart and courage.  My congratulations to them and to everyone involved, and I look forward to seeing you again next year. 

Chris Davies (for Bruce Wyatt) Regional Representative.

Chris has, on behalf of Bruce Wyatt, captured well NODA’s presence at The Wizard of Oz.  A near capacity audience were treated to this now well know show. Afterall what would Christmas be with out this film in out lounges.

The script selected was in line with the familiar story line with the sepia effect (the more black and white part of the film) prior to the wonderful technicolour which make cinema history.

I do not wish to repeat what Chris has already covered however Kate Sutton must be congratulated for her perseverance in needing to carry on regardless of Woody’s determination to be the star!

Aadil Din worked well as the puppeteer – it is important to almost not see the person as our full attention is drawn to Tota. Therefore, it is complementary that Aadil managed this.

The entire cast worked well together and managed to place their own spin on their characters while also accepting the audience have come with preconceived ideas due to the 1939 film version.

My congratulations to all involved.

Andy Brown, Regional Councillor NODA West Midlands.

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