The Wizard of Oz was the brainchild of L Frank Baum, a prolific early twentieth century story writer, who formed a film company to promote his stories in 1910. 25 years later, MGM released their well known version of the story starring Judy Garland, which has become a much loved, modern film classic.
The current touring version of the musical credits Andrew Lloyd Webber for adaptation and additional music and Tim Rice for additional lyrics, so the adaptation seems sharp and very much of the moment.
Having reviewed a number of touring musicals over the past few years, this transfer from the London Coliseum is in a class of its own. From the dramatic opening and throughout, I was spellbound by the skilful creativity of the back projections (Douglas O'Connell), which provided an initial birds’ eye view of Kansas to accompany the overture and other treats later on.
Production values are extremely high, and set and costume design outrageously appropriate. I was particularly impressed by the imaginative creation of the Yellow Brick Road (Colin Richmond), which seemed to disappear into the distance while actually reconfiguring itself in immediate space.
The cast of principal actors is outstanding. Dorothy, played by Aviva Tulley, dispels the image of Judy Garland in a modest, truthful performance full of integrity. She is the moral lodestone of the story with her determination to save Toto from the cruelty of her evil neighbour and the sound advice she offers to her companions in Oz as the attempt to overcome their inadequacies.
The structure of the musical is very helpful in allowing us to meet the family and neighbours in the reality of Kansas before they are transformed into fantasy characters in the dream world of Oz
The Vivienne is triumphantly evil as nasty neighbour Ms Gulch and as The Wicked Witch of the West. She has height and powerful stage presence in both roles, wears high heels and outrageous costumes with ease and has the exit laugh of a pantomime villain. In contrast, the Good Witch Glinda, played by Emily Bull, is beautiful and kind, has a wonderful singing voice and wears the prettiest clothes in the show.
We are introduced to Dorothy’s companions one at a time, which gives each actor an opportunity to present the comic characteristics of his part and to show off his excellent singing voice.
As the Scarecrow, Benjamin Yates uses effective comic delay pauses to convince us that he is a scarecrow without a brain. He is very convincing when he can’t remember what he was going to say next. In contrast, Marley Fenton as the rusty Tin Man is a character who demands our sympathy because "he hasn’t got a heart". His athletic distortions when he attempts to get his rusty body to work again are impressive to watch. But his song is sad and sensitive.
Costumes for the Scarecrow and the Tin Man, designed by Rachael Canning, underline character and make essential movement possible. She excels herself in the costume for the Cowardly Lion, played with consummate skill by the very entertaining Nic Greenshields. Nic becomes a very large lion with a curly head and a very long tail, all of which contributes to a perfectly judged, witty, enjoyable performance.
Another character which almost becomes a scene stealer is Toto the puppet dog. Puppeteer Tyler Ephraim must have spent hours observing dog behaviour. The wagging tail is compulsive viewing.
In this production, the child Munchkins are replaced by a large ensemble of adult performers who sing, dance and fill a number of essential roles. The orchestra, under musical director Iestyn Griffiths, provides a full sound and a highly rhythmic accompaniment.
This is a wonderful production. I hope as many people as possible will be able to see it during its short stay at the Lyceum. The children in the audience were thrilled by it.