Wizard of Oz

This version of the show showed very good planning by the Director, and a real cohesion to the storyline.  It was interesting how good the links were between the start and the main section of the story.  The opening scene with the barn, chickens, fence and windmill looked very good, and the dispersal of the barn worked really well. The subsequent move into Oz was very well done.

The scenery throughout the show was well planned and very effective.  The use of painted backcloths worked well, with the emerald city forever in the distance a nice touch in Act 2. Using the chorus members to create the poppies and apple trees was ingenious!  Once or twice the scene changes seemed to be a bit laboured and slow, but overall the show ran very smoothly.

The sound and lighting added enormously to the production.  The sound effect of the tornado that tore Dorothy’s home apart was excellent, and fully responded to by the actors.  Equally, the enhancement of the Wizard’s voice was amazing.  The costumes for this production were wonderful – both colourful and bright.  In fact, all the costumes looked professional and made the show a pleasure to look at purely from the view of costumes and colour. 

This live music enabled the cast to adjust to the various timings and rhythms really well - and gave the singers time to breathe!   The choreography was so well done that it blended in to the story line seamlessly.  The dances by tin man and scarecrow were particularly well planned and executed totally within character.  It was so nice to see choreography that fitted the skills of the actors and dancers.  The dances and jitterbugs were effective in adding atmosphere to the story, especially in the case of the snowflakes.

However, it was the characters onstage that made the production come alive and become the vivid story that the audience enjoyed so much.

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