The Wizard of Oz (Youth Edition)

Odyssey Juniors, for youngsters in school years 4-8, has form when it comes to staging a show in a week, and this production of “The Wizard of Oz” followed proudly in that tradition.  The principals embodied the classic characters, and the company was so well drilled in their challenging and often expressive dance routines that the production practically forced you to rethink what can be achieved in a few days of dedicated rehearsal.

Dorothy’s problems begin when she is parted from her dog, and the portrayal of Toto can be a tricky problem to solve.  Are you prepared to have a real dog on stage? Is a dog costume just too ridiculous?  Well, “no” and “yes” are the correct answers, and Odyssey chose instead to have a puppet dog controlled by sticks, in the style of “War Horse”.  The puppeteer did a brilliant job bringing Toto to life, and giving voice to the character through barks and growls.

Dorothy herself captured the cheerful optimism of the young girl transported to Oz from Kansas; Glinda radiated wholesome goodness and the Wicked Witch of the West combined melodramatic menace with a touch of sarcasm and a cackling laugh.  Scarecrow moved well when finding his feet and brought out the humour in the role, Tin Man transitioned nicely from a rusted-up relic into a fully functioning being, and Lion’s body language was especially good as he paced around with his paws to his chest to indicate his anxiety.

In fact, the show gave just about everyone in the company an opportunity to shine, from the Munchkin Mayor and Coroner through the ensembles of crows and flying monkeys, to the benevolent if eccentric Wizard of Oz herself.  Most of the soloists were equipped with radio microphones, so there was a reasonable balance between the performers and the backing track; the largely unison singing was accurate, and the lyrics were properly enunciated.

The imaginative choreography and dancing were great strengths of the show.  The company’s rhythmic dancing had been properly drilled into the young performers, so that movements were well synchronised with almost everyone remembering to look the audience in the eye and smile.  There were also several instances of expressive ensemble work allied to imaginative costuming; for example, an orchard of apple trees was conjured up through outfits which featured a simple green gauze sash bearing a few leaves, with the trees swaying in the breeze before rather energetically shedding their apples.  The troupe of flying monkeys was equipped with gossamer wings and giant pipe cleaner tails, while the murder of crows was brought to life through the movement of black feather boas.

The presentation was quite extraordinary, as the upstage cyclorama served as a screen for a sequence of digital projections on a scale that I associate with the Odeons of yesteryear.  If these had been static projections their dimensions and intensity would have been striking enough, but they were brought to life through animated transitions and special effects.  Dorothy’s house went spinning through the air, the arrival and departure of the Wicked Witch of the West was accompanied by appropriate pyrotechnics, and the torches illuminating the Wizard of Oz’s chambers flickered with flame.

There was a risk that the technical aspects of the production might have overwhelmed the young performers, but they’re too good for that to happen, even if they sometimes had to work hard to impose themselves in front of all the electronic wizardry.  Ultimately, productions such as this are about the participants, and I never cease to be amazed at what Odyssey Juniors can achieve in so short a period of time.  The quality of the characterisations, the strength in depth of the company, and the accomplishment in the singing and dancing were all remarkable.  And for all my reservations about the potential of the technology to overshadow the performers, the nature of the presentation meant that the show was incredibly slick and professional.  I have no doubt that the production will live long in the memories of everyone involved, and so it should.

© NODA CIO.  All rights reserved.

© NODA CIO. All rights reserved.