THE WIZARD OF OZ THE MUSICAL to 31st August 2008
London.
THE WIZARD OF OZ
book by L. Frank Baum music and lyrics by Harold Arlen and E. Y. Harburg background music by Herbert Stothart.
Royal Festival Hall.
Tue – Sat 7.30pm Mat Wed, Sat & Sun 2.30pm.
Runs 2 hr 50 mins One interval.
TICKETS: 0871 663 2500.
http://www.followtheyellowbrickroad.co.uk.
Review: Geoff Ambler 2nd August 2008.
The yellow brick road leads to the South Bank, for a family summer treat.
Dorothy’s house lands on the South Bank for the summer as the Festival Hall puts on a fine, family-friendly production. Jude Kelly never strays far from the 1939 movie which launched Judy Garland onto the big screen and into musical history as the child, caught up in a tornado and blown into a magical land of witches, a wizard, a good fairy and lots of singing Munchkins.
A preponderance of girls in ruby red slippers milling around the Hall highlighted the popularity of a show seldom seen in London. Not far from the South Bank, a little show called Wicked has made Oz crazy, sexy and cool for a whole new generation of young theatregoers and Kelly might have missed a trick with this authentic homage.
From the orchestra's opening bars I was transported back to a movie that accompanied so many Christmases of my youth. Sian Brooke bounds onto the stage as Dorothy, complete with Garland's style and is followed by an unexpected star, Bobby as Toto, a West Highland Terrier, who elicits "Ah"s from the audience every time he scampers across the stage looking bemused and bewildered.
Brooke lacks the requisite innocence but has mastered Dorothy's inflections and brings her own style to 'Over The Rainbow'. Julie Legrand’s Miss Gulch starts out plain wicked, before developing pantomimic evil malevolence and a green pallor as the ill-fated witch, assisted by boos and hisses from adults getting into the swing of things. The three farm hands and their flawed Ozian counterparts, provide levity with some finely crafted physical performances, warmth, wit and a little Tin Man tap-dancing.
Overlong for the young audience and a little bland for the Elphaba generation, Oz still succeeds, with a scarecrow, tin man and lion suffused with heart, bravery, brains and some wonderful comedy, particularly from Gary Wilmot whose cowardliness is matched only by his wit, invigorating, lively choreography from Nick Winston for the show's energetic ensemble, bringing out some emerald Oz magic, and a dog who improvises with the cutest canine cunning while working his part for treats.
Kelly’s production will please families all summer long, but funded theatre can afford to take more risks and there is still an edge to Oz that remains undiscovered here.
Dorothy: Sian Brooke.
Tin Man: Adam Cooper.
Wizard: Roy Hudd.
Wicked Witch of the West: Julie Legrand.
Scarecrow: Hilton McRae.
Cowardly Lion: Gary Wilmot.
Glinda/Aunt Em: Susannah Fellows.
Uncle Henry/Guard: Julian Forsyth.
Toto: Bobby.
Ensemble:
Verity Bentham, Jina Burrows, Owain Rhys Davies, Daniel Farrow (swing), Darren J Fawthrop, Nolan Frederick, Carly Hainsby (swing), Kiara Jay, Leroy Ricardo Jones, Rebecca Louis, David McGranaghan, Kyle Millanaise, Rachael Louise Miller, Harry Morrison, Saori Oda, Moyo Omoniyi.
Director: Jude Kelly.
Designer: Michael Vale.
Lighting: Mike Gunning.
Sound: Ed Clarke.
Music Director: Jonathan Gill.
Choreographer: Nick Winston.
Visual Installation: Huntley Muir.
2008-08-05 00:03:39