The Wizard of Oz - The Panto

Before even starting this review of the Watlington Players 2018 pantomime ‘The Wizard of Oz’, I re-read my comments on last year’s ‘Snow White and the Seven Dwarves’. It brought back so many fantastic memories of what was a truly remarkable show. I didn’t say it then, but I was very much thinking it as I took my seat for the Watlington 2018 offering ‘The Wizard of Oz’ how I wouldn’t want to follow that! Well, Ben Robinson had been passed the “poison chalice” for his debut in the Director’s chair. Legendary Cyril Pike was on the door of course and his impressive work on the Village Hall’s décor led me very much to believe I was not in Norfolk anymore …

There are two premium Panto titles that never sit completely comfortably with me. ‘Peter Pan’ and ‘The Wizard of Oz’. The requirement to re-tell in detail such well-known storylines and to include in the action all the famous pre-requisites are often in conflict with the pantomime element of the show. Its either too much story or too much panto and getting an acceptable balance is a nightmare. Having said all that, after last year’s completely (and unashamedly) traditional offering this was quite a smart choice. Comparisons would be difficult, and it gave Mr Robinson something of a clean slate.

I will not insult you by retelling the story, but as you would expect this pantomime followed the accepted route along that much respected yellow brick road. In retrospect the final offering was a little more Oz than panto, which is neither a compliment nor a criticism. It is however definitely a fact. The set (design by Hugh Pearce with construction by Kevin Rooney and Chris Scott) was just the job as I have come to expect in this venue. Lighting and sound (design uncredited but execution by Kevin Rooney and Chris Scott) was perfection. Not a cue missed and no unexpected pops or whistles. Costumes (Harvey Costumes or as known locally … Dame Judy Parsons, together with Claire Cooper and Margaret Mould) were exceptional, with hair (uncredited but loved Dorothy’s plait) and make up (Tiggie Ellison) doing everything that they needed to do. I have noticed that I rarely credit the Stage Manager in my NODA reviews, and that is enormously unfair. So, to act decisively upon one of my (many) New Year’s resolutions, I intend to put that injustice right… Stage Management (Richard Bennett) must have been OK because nothing fell over and no-one was hurt in the delivery of the production!

This Pantomime boasted a very well-proportioned cast with an enthusiastic and accomplished Chorus delivering (or helping to deliver) 14 songs. Most of these seemed to be full length and that did slow down the action a smidge. The dance team of Philly McFarlane, Jane Pearce, Mandi Field, Abby Gosling and Ella Webb put on a good show and added a little extra glamour to the proceedings. They worked hard throughout to deliver the choreography set by Becca Field. I was interested to see the overly-talented Megan Abbott bolstering the Munchkin team and thought how charming it was that she had acquiesced to take on such a “small” part.

In the supporting roles, I enjoyed Ellie Marshall as Toto and Liam Baker as Palace Guard/Farmhand with his significantly more talented twin sister adding some real sex appeal as a dancer in one of the big numbers. With a stunning figure and shapely legs, she was worth the ticket price on her own! Allan Lord was on top form again as the Gatekeeper offering a very creditable Birmingham (West Midlands and not Alabama) accent for reasons best known to himself. As solid as he always is and a real asset in this production. It’s always a disappointment when you find Nery’s Brooks isn’t behind the bar. The only compensation this time was that she was on stage! As the Munchkin Queen Engleberta she did not put a foot wrong causing be to worry that she may have now, finally put the licenced trade behind her for ever. Another performer on top of their game was Megan Shorthouse (Ian Gooda insert own Munchkin gag here) as the Good Witch, Glinda, who was delightful throughout and delivered some quality singing into the bargain. How wonderful to see Hugh Pearce back as the comic lead. AS the witch’s side kick Riff Raff, Mr Pearce, was the very embodiment of endearing. With a script that didn’t hang together that well and a shortage of written gags his visual knock-about humour was essential. I loved him, the audience loved him, and he worked his socks off to get the very best from the material given. Also, largeing it for the audience was Mr Ian Gooda as the Wicked Witch. He worked the audience well and solicited much boo and hiss on every visit to the stage.

In the principle roles Steve Brooks was solid enough as the Tin Man. Comfortable with his lines and always in the right place at the right time as far as I could tell. As the Scarecrow, Sam Lord delivered such a convincing Scottish Accent I had to check after the final curtain that he wasn’t Scottish and had being doing a convincing English accent in previous productions! An original interpretation that relieved some of the weight of the expectational baggage this title carries. It worked well and added greatly to the overall feel of the production as a pantomime. What can I say about Ethan Robinson as the Cowardly Lion? He took the part, threw away the accepted presentation and turned the volume up to maximo! The audience took a while to tune into the comedy genius, but I can tell you Mr Robinson, that lone laugh your heard from time to time was me … enjoying every minute of camp reticence! Just in case you are reading this and waiting to hear about the Wizard … there wasn’t one. Just a disembodied voice which did the job perfectly. It sounded a lot like Allan Lord … but one can never be sure.

Penultimate paragraph honours were a little tricky with Mr Gooda, young Mr Lord, Mr Robinson and Mr Pearce all in with a shout. In the end …. with the story winning out over the Panto, it just had to be enchanting Kia Long as Dorothy. Miss Long is a continually improving actress with a superb singing voice and, as the heroine of this story, was adorable. She looked amazing and put me so much in mind of Judy Garland it was unnerving. Her MGM Kansas accent was accurate enough and every bit as consistent as Mr Lord’s Scottish offering and, as the backbone of everything that took place on this stage, in this production, she was pivotal. As (I think) Miss Long has realised, the secret of looking good in a part is as much about knowing which roles are good for you as putting in a good performance. Inspirational casting - great performance!

Well Ben Robinson, it wasn’t in the same league as last year, and I think you were hampered by an untidy script but …. and listen to me now, the technical direction was good, and for a first outing you should be very proud of yourself and all your cast. This was opening night and I heard no prompts, nor did anyone look like they were not ready for this. I would say there were too many songs, with almost all of them still going well after they had achieved what was required of them. The whole production was overly long … but take heart when I tell you that every panto I have seen this season was at least 15 minutes too long! These are only my opinions and anyone who reads this can disregard them immediately if they disagree. The bottom line is I had a wonderful, fun-filled evening amongst friends and at least as important, when discussing the show with Eastern Regional Councillor Don McKay, he did too. I listened to his thoughts and observations and it was obvious to me that in later performances (he attended the matinee on Saturday) things had tightened up even more. Well done Watlington Players you never let me down. Until next time Ben Robinson - I sincerely hope there will be a next time.

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