For someWickedis their ‘go-to’ musical.
For me, you cannot beat going down the yellow brick road for the first time, meet Dorothy, the Cowardly Lion, the Tin Men and the Scarecrow with their personal quests to get home, to get some courage, a heart and a brain.
The Wizard of Oz when down-staged well can be dark, funny and heartwarming and there is no explanationneeded as towhy theWitchof the West is so wicked. She just is.
The Wizard of OZ at the Palace Theatre
This new production by Nikolai Foster comes directly from the Curve in Leicester and a West End runandit returns to London this Summer.So, how does it stack up to thewonderfulmovieversion,starring Judy Garland?
The story of farm girl Dorothy being whisked from a monochrome Kansas to Oz via a tornado remains the same.
And the characters she meets along the way and her experiences remain.The era in which the showis sethasbeen tweakedwhichleadsto some interesting choices.Glinda thegoodwitchrocks up on a scooterandit is Barbie-esque.
And the whole look of the show feels like Vegas meets Broadway. And this does dazzle the senses at times and means that the show is not just one retread of everything you have seen before.
There are a few drawbacks though, as there is an overreliance on video projection in place of a set.
Thismeans that much of whatseeof the countryside and Oz feelsquiteflatandit does resemblea video gameattimes, that someone else is playing.
Ifprops were used, the shapes and colours would give the audience moreof avisceral connection.
But the videos are slightly blurred and headache-inducing, so there are moments when you feel as if you inhaled the poppies, along with Dorothy and her pals.
If they only had a proper set,it would be as magical as the film.Luckily, the performers give this show their allandthereforeyou dofeel as if you are somewhere over the rainbow duringkeymoments.
Aviva Tulley as ‘sensational’ Dorothy
Aviva Tulley is sensational as Dorothy; her vocalshave the power tosoothe one minute and break your heart the next.She has an incredible stage presence and holds her own, and you cannot take your eyes off her, as she embodies who Dorothy is but with a feistiness and fighter mentality.
Jason Mansford as the Cowardly Lion
Jason Manford loves musical theatre, and it shows, hejustloves being on stagebeltingout tunes and being funnyandhis Cowardly Lion allows him to do both ofthese,really well. Aston Merrygold comes alive as the Tin Man and Hickory when he has some choreography. I wishina way, he was playing the scarecrow, as he has the moves like Jagger.
Benjamin Yates has superb comic timing as the scarecrow and resembles a puppet with no strings, hisphysicality is spot on.
Emily Bull brings the full-on Barbieness to Glinda and is having a ball. Abigail Matthews as Toto is sogood,that you forget that the dog she controls is a puppet. The ensemble performers are great all-rounders and can dance and sing, but there are a few scenes when theyare directedtosimplysit and watch, and you know they have more fire in their bellies than this.
Allan Stewart is a perfect wizard, as the doddery face behind thehugecurtain. And he brings old-school quality to the role from the minute he steps onto the stage.
The Vivienne as Wicked Witch of the West
The Vivienne relishes in the roles of Ms Gulch and the Wicked Witch of the West. She gets a round of applause at the end instead of boos, which highlights how much the audience appreciates her performance.
Shereminds me of the late great Paul O’Grady when he was in panto, she embodies show business and making the most of a role. Ijustwish she got to fly as high as her performance.
In terms of the songs, Off to See the Wizard sticks in the memory, as it highlights the power of a great companyall working togetherandthey deliverand then some.
This new production is fast-paced and will please families and fans of the original.
Ijustwish that the set design relied less on video becauseinthis case, when itisusedit separates you from the action.
Tickets for The Wizard of OZ at the Palace Theatre
Thankfullythehard-working cast takes you down the Yellow Brick Road and to Oz and back again, where trouble melts like lemon drops.
The Wizard of Oz is at the Palace Theatre until 5th May and can bebooked here
