The Wizard of Oz

You would’ve had to live your life on another planet to not know this show/film which are almost identical save a couple of numbers. Because of this it’s important to be true to the script and not change anything too dramatically which this society really achieved in this portrayal.

The band were upstairs in the bar area and piped into the auditorium which is not always ideal but Simon Pickup the MD and the band worked hard to overcome this difficulty and sounded very effective.

The Kansas set worked well especially considering the lack of wing space and size of stage at the Festival Theatre. The sets and props used to transform most scenes were very effective.

The costumes were lovely and bearing in mind the transformation of every character (bar Dorothy) from Kansas to Oz a special mention should go to hair and makeup for heir part in this as every character looked superb.

The use of video projection worked well in most scenes but the cyclone /twister was lost behind the scenery and some of the action which took place off stage to stage left was difficult to see for some members of the audience.

The dancers worked hard and had a variety of different routines to perform thanks to Jean Ashworths lovely choreography and the children playing the Munchkins were adorable and drilled very well in both dance and projection of voice. Toto the dog played by Pippa was so beautifully behaved and stole every scene she was in. The smaller principal parts cast worked well, each having dual roles.

Brookelyn Mottershead as Dorothy put in a lovely performance with fabulous acting skills and a faultless Kansas accent. John Meachen was wonderful as the Scarecrow/Hunk never coming out of character and delivering fine vocals and dance moves. Kevin Proctor as the Tin Man/Hickory was brilliant and delivered great vocals and a warmth of character. David Noble was fabulous as the Lion/Zeke and acted the part with great comic timing and bags of energy as well as great vocals. The four of them worked so well together and had a lovely chemistry between them that was compelling to watch.

This was a lovely evening and the audience which included a number of young children thoroughly enjoyed themselves. Well done to everyone involved including the backstage staff who worked really hard to stage this show.

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