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A review from 5D Music & Theatre writer Maria Robertson.
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This is a production of epic proportions. To start with I must admit I did not like it due to the cinematography elements used, when I was expecting a stage show. However once settled into the concept I realised it actually worked very well, and added to the show. This was especially true with the use of the moving screen backdrop for Dorothy’s journey on the yellow brick road, and when the twister hits. The set includes many bright coloured and fantastical lights which change hue as the story requires.
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Most of us know the story of The Wizard of Oz where a young girl and some friends get lost in a magical land and ask the Wizard to help them find what they need. For Dorothy, its her way back home, its courage for the Lion, a brain for the Scarecrow and a heart for the Tin Man. These are characters that we have been introduced to at an early age and the theme running through the story, that if you want something enough you can make it happen is a wonderful moral to have in a story for children. The “television star” of the show, Craig Revel Horwood certainly proved he could dress up like a woman and look very realistic! He made a very wonderful Wicked Witch of the West, and I loved his entourage.
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In an interesting modernisation of the traditional story the Good Witch Glinda, played by Emily Bull, was presented much like a certain doll from a popular recent movie hit. She rides a moped and wears pink with her long blonde hair. Again I objected to this concept at the start, but grew to like it, sometimes it is okay to stray from the traditional! The songs are the same Andrew Lloyd Webber hits that we know and love, with lyrics by E.Y. Harburg. Its nigh impossible to not sing along to Off To See The Wizard, Ding Dong The Witch is Dead, and of course Over the Rainbow.
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The young lady playing Dorothy, Aviva Tulley, is an absolutely amazing actress for one so young. She did a fantastic job and obviously every girl, and Revel Horwood, in the room wanted her sparkly read shoes! Also fabulous was Tyler Ephraim, the puppeteer playing Toto the dog. His tail is frequently wagging and he interacts with the characters just as a real dog would. The special friends that go on the journey are very well cast as well: Benjamin Yates plays a very convincing Scarecrow, Femi Akinfolarin is the Tin Man and Nic Greenshields is a very fittingly tall but Cowardly Lion.
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The yellow brick road was very effective, although really simple in that it was two yellow arrows that were moved by four people dressed in yellow as part of the ensemble. The way the arrows were choreographed really made you feel like you were going on a journey with the characters.
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This is certainly a show not to miss and I advise you get your tickets quickly, we could all do with a magical trip Over The Rainbow to remind ourselves of the good in life.
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Maria Robertson is the Chief Music & Theatre Writer for the 5D Pop Culture Website and provides reviews & coverage of local Aberdeen music & theatre gigs. She’s an experienced writer for numerous sources and is a self-confessed live gig addict ever since seeing The Counting Crows at the Barrowlands in 1994.
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