The Wizard of Oz

This was a well presented show under the very capable production team with some good ideas on this popular musical that encouraged good attention span from a young audience. The Director must have spent many hours with over twenty in the Ensemble and a further fifteen dancers who were well drilled, looked happy and really performed as a company. I was very impressed but did find the stage a little overcrowded at times.

The costumes were very colourful with all the Munchkins dressed very differently, with brightly coloured head gear, and the main characters of Tin Man, Lion and Scarecrow also had great outfits. Congratulations to the Wardrobe team for some of the most imaginative costumes I have seen recently in a show.

Lorna Heppell, playing the principal lead of Dorothy, had a real feel for the character and sang beautifully, especially ‘Somewhere Over the Rainbow’, but I felt she was a little old for the part. The casting of the other diverse set of characters was good throughout with some interesting interpretations from all. Both Nita Graham as a really scary Wicked Witch of the West/Miss Gulch and Ryan Hicks as  Professor Marvel/The Wizard of Oz were super. Very clear diction and lovely costumes added so much. The same must be said for Adrian Locke whose transformation from elderly Uncle Henry to the City Guard was remarkable. This also applied to Jo Williams as Glinda/Aunt Em.  Her entrance as Glinda, the Good Witch was a delightful feature as she ‘glided’ across the stage.  I was fascinated to know how she managed it, but however it was achieved, it was one of the highlights of this production.

As everyone knows Dorothy sets off up the Yellow Brick Road and meets the Scarecrow, cleverly played by Nathan Johnston.  He certainly appeared to be made of straw, collapsing frequently and restuffing himself as he went.  They next meet the Tin Man, Matthew Muddle, who keeps rusting up and has to be oiled regularly to keep moving, and they all then join up with Lion played by Robert Carpenter. He was every inch the frightened coward with no belief in himself.  I loved his song ‘If I were King of the Forest’, which was an absolute show stopper. All the minor characters and chorus added so much to the overall enjoyment, the orchestration was excellent, the lighting worked well and the visual and sound effects, especially in the “twister storm sequence”, all helped to make this a thoroughly memorable evening’s entertainment.

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