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A cyclone of bold colour and magical musical entertainment to blow your stripy socks off!Summary
Rating
Excellent
A cyclone hits New Wimbledon Theatre this week as The Wizard of Oz swirls onto the stage, and it will blow your stripy socks off! This is a colourful, bold and dynamic reimagining of the classic movie, containing enough of the original to recognise, but bringing the songs and characters energetically up to date. It starts with a bang, lifting the roof right from the overture, and becomes a vibrant spectacle. Focused firmly on family entertainment, the show lands comfortably somewhere between panto and camp musical: friends of Dorothy most welcome!
Top name casting includes the magnificent Gary Wilmott as the Wizard, in a small yet perfectly formed performance. But it’s The Vivienne who dazzles, playing the Wicked Witch. She is an emerald goddess; controlled but crazed and armed with a bazooka-style broomstick that is excitingly fuelled with pyrotechnic power. Opening the second half, her stunning performance of ‘Red Shoe Blues’ really punches things up a level. And yes, I’m green with envy at that voice and make up…
Aviva Tulley as Dorothy has the voice of an angel, filling the auditorium gloriously with a tremendous ‘Over the Rainbow’, marred only slightly by peculiar American pronunciation. Her steadfast teen runaway might also benefit from a touch more vulnerability to give full range to the character.
Most of the comedy comes from her trio of friends, played in satisfyingly complementary styles. Benjamin Yates is glorious as the Scarecrow. A terrific dancer and singer, he also happily embraces silliness in a totally endearing way. Our Tin Man (Marley Fenton) is reconfigured and upgraded, with a suggestion of Iron Man in the costume and a touch of Lin Manuel included in the delivery. His transition into movement when oiled is a highlight, demonstrating excellent physical performance. Funniest of all is the Lion, played by Nic Greenshields, who offers a delightful nod to the film in his characterisation but energises it with his appealing signature style. Every detail of his performance adds to the humour, and feeds into the warm sense of companionship the trio create. Toto is played in puppet form aided by Abigail Mathews, who does a great job of animating him, but the dog itself is disappointingly stiff and wooden. Emily Bull as Glinda deserves a shout out for her fabulous soprano, and they’re all supported by an upbeat ensemble.
This is a bold show; loud and visually lavish. Douglas O’Connell’s video projections are at times superb and evocative – particularly in the stunning early storm scene – and also hint sympathetically to the original film. However, at other points there is so much going on it can become overwhelming, with the added danger of motion sickness as we’re rollercoastered between locations. When combined with Colin Richmond‘s complex, flexible set design and Rachel Canning’s vibrant (occasionally verging on psychedelic) costumes, they certainly give the production added life!
Our journey along the yellow brick road is, of course, driven forward by a collection of iconic songs that can’t fail to get your monkeys flying. With additional twists courtesy of Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice, classics such as ‘If I Only Had a Heart’, ‘The Merry Old Land of Oz’, ‘Ding Dong the Witch is Dead’ and (my particular favourite) ‘March of the Winkies’ are all refreshingly updated, with musical supervisor George Dyer overseeing meticulous delivery from the orchestra.
This Wizard of Oz has all the essence of the movie but reimagined, compressed and shot from a cannon in a colourful rainbow of music and entertainment. It’s a fun night out for family and friends, so grab your ruby slippers and set off for the Emerald City!
Music by: Harold Arlen
Lyrics by: E.Y. Harburg
Additional music by Andrew Lloyd Webber
Additional lyrics by Tim Rice
Adaptation by Andrew Lloyd Webber and Jeremy Sams
From the book by L. Frank Baum
Directed by Nikolai Foster
Choreography by Shay Barclay
Set design by Colin Richmond
Projection design by Douglas O’Connell
Costume and puppet design by Rachael Canning
Lighting design by Ben Cracknell
Sound design by Adam Fisher
Creative consultant: Mark Kaufman
Musical Supervision: George Dyer
The Wizard of Oz runs at New Wimbledon Theatre until Saturday 16 March and touring across the Uk until August 2024. Further information and booking can be found here.
