The Wizard of Oz

The Wizard of Oz is one of the classic film and stage musicals of all time and here we were taken on a journey with Dorothy and her friends Scarecrow, Tin Man and Lion down the yellow brick road to see The Wizard of Oz who lives in the Emerald City. This production of The Wizard of Oz was performed over three performances, Thursday to Saturday, I attended the opening night with eager anticipation.

Amelia Holmes played Dorothy with a confidence which belied her years. Considering the amount of lines she needed to learn for the role, Amelia was  great ,managing to bring her character to life (and even managing to prompt the “adults” on some occasions) .  Her scenes with Toto, her dog played by “Darth Vader” (The dog`s name, not the Dark Lord of the Sith)  will live with those who saw it for a long time to come….. although “Darth” may be nick-named Push-me-Pull-yu from now on.

On her journey to find The Wizard, Dorothy of course comes across her three friends, Scarecrow played by Adam Barker, bouncing his way around the stage, Tin Man (Will Patrick)- not easy to play a part while being encased in a restrictive silver suit and, of course, The Cowardly Lion (Dave Stockton).  All four of these characters interacted well together- I`ve never been to Oz before, but it`s heritage and dialect must lie somewhere in Cumbria. The “nod” to Lion King, whilst providing a `cuteness factor 10` moment, for me, did nothing to add to the plot, although I`m sure many enjoyed it.

Trystan Rodger played the role of Professor Marvel/Wizard of Oz well, speaking loudly and clearly. The part of Uncle Henry was played by Chris Barker, who also started as the Guard of The Emerald City, which was then switched to the Guard being played excellently by Olivia Dacre, although it meant some of the lines didn`t make sense (remembering Aunt Em).

\Aunty Em, played wonderfully by Hayley Dent, who also doubles up as Glinda the good witch, sang perfectly, with excellent diction. Her nemesis, the Wicked Witch of the West/Miss Almira Gultch, played by Leah Greaves was great as both characters, although her enthusiasm as the Witch at times sometimes made her words inaudible through the cackling and screaming-nevertheless excellent characterisation and diction in spite of the latter.

The Crows, Trees, People of Oz, Winkies and Guard all gave excellent support throughout the production, though some words were lost from not coming towards the front of the stage, or by the speaker facing upstage during dialogue-something to be borne in mind by leads and chorus alike. The cast sang and danced their hearts out with an enthusiasm seldom matched by many companies, and through Choreographer, Caroline Barker`s Simple and effective movement kept the show moving.

The set, created by the company, made good use of trucks and back-cloths, with a yellow brick road walkway around the Orchestra Pit.  

Music was provided a backing track, with Director/Musical Director Graham E Barker in the Orchestra Pit keeping the cast in time.

Well done CAST Theatre Company, and thank you to for the hospitality.
 

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