Are you ready to follow the yellow brick road? The Wizard of Oz is at Milton Keynes Theatre until 21 July, following a celebrated run at the London Palladium.
Dorothy feels she isn’t understood and no one listens to her, except for her dog, Toto. Living on a farm in Kansas, she does all she can to keep Toto safe from the awful neighbour who wants him exterminated. During a hurricane, Dorothy wakes to find she isn’t in Kansas anymore. Her house has fallen on a wicked witch and suddenly she has ruby slippers on her feet and a huge adventure in front of her to try to find her way home again.
I love that this show follows the traditional story of the film. This is a much loved story and I believe this is appreciated by the audience. There is so much to love about this production. I loved the yellow brick road, its light up arrows that can move around the stage and is a genius idea which helps the flow of the story. The set when they meet the cowardly Lion with a light up drop down of legs with red shoes in the background that wouldn’t be out of place in Soho. I loved the Emerald City costumes. How much green sparkle can you handle? Its fair to say I loved this show. Like many of you, I grew up on the film, and wondered how it would translate to the stage, but have no fear; all my dreams come true in this production of the show.
Craig Revel Horwood needs no introduction. Craig is so famous for being a Strictly judge, but he is very talented and makes a very good woman. What fun it must be to play the Wicked Witch of the West. He can really sing, he can dance in a dress and heels and he does evil rather well. I loved him melting. That’s an acting masterclass. There were glimpses of how he could nail the part of Frank in the Rocky Horror Show. I for one would love to see him in that part.
Aviva Tulley plays Dorothy. She stepped into those ruby slippers and they fit perfectly. Aviva is a star – there is no doubt about that. Aviva’s accent, acting and stunning singing voice really knocks it out of the ball park. Wow – you can hear a pin drop during Over The Rainbow.
Benjamin Yates is The Scarecrow and I loved how floppy he was. Its very physical acting and he nails the role. He singing voice is lovely and I really enjoyed his performance. Talking of physical acting The Tin Man is played by Femi Akinfolarin and is so clever at making his outfit look heavy and rusted. That is a talent in itself before he even starts to sing. To complete the team, Nic Greenshields plays The Cowardly Lion. I loved his performance, which is completely different to the last time I saw him (Les Mis), which is the sign of a great actor. Nic is not only extremely talented, but also very tall which really works for the Cowardly Lion. I loved the detail of the L on his vest top too. Brilliant. Abigail Matthews is an extremely talented puppeteer who has performed in War Horse in the West End. She brings Toto to life so well and the puppeteering adds another dimension to the show.
This iconic Judy Garland film really comes to life on stage with amazing special effects. I especially loved the snow to counteract the poppies – almost a 3-D effect. I loved that Glinda is on a motor scooter and loved the depth of the digital backdrops that make it so magical. The show features all the iconic original songs including Over The Rainbow, Follow The Yellow Brick Road and We're Off To See the Wizard with additional songs from Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice which makes this a spectacular production.
The moral of the story is there is no place like home and home is where your heart is. What a warm fuzzy feeling you leave the theatre with. It’s a must see and I am delighted I was off to see the wizard.
It’s a mesmerising show-stopping adventure. Follow the yellow brick road to Milton Keynes Theatre this week.
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