The Wizard of Oz: Theater Review

[Reza]

Hd Reporter


The Wizard of Oz: Theater Review

2:53 PM 3/2/2011 by Ray Bennet



LONDON If ever a show was presold, it's the new
stage version of The Wizard of Oz, with the 1939
movie a perennial favorite and Danielle Hope cast
as Dorothy thanks to winning a 10-week primetime
BBC reality show. It does, however, really deliver.

Audiences might hum the film's indelible tunes on
the way into the London Palladium, but when they
leave, they will be buzzing about the
extraordinary sets and costumes that Robert Jones
has created for Dorothy's adventures on the yellow brick road.

The show features all the original songs by
Harold Arlen and E.Y. Harburg, plus four new
numbers by Tim Rice and producer Andrew Lloyd
Webber, who adapted the show with director Jeremy Sams.

The film was more an adventure with songs than an
outright musical, so Rice and Lloyd Webber, who
had much success with Evita, have filled in the gaps quite sensibly.

They have provided 'Nobody Understands Me' as a
scene-setter at the start for Dorothy and 'Red
Shoes Blues', a rousing show-stopper for Hannah
Waddingham as the Wicked Witch of the West, plus
two songs for star Michael Crawford, renowned for
the title role in Lloyd Webber's stage hit Phantom of the Opera.

As Professor Marvel, he tries to get Dorothy to
stay at home before the storm breaks with the
jaunty 'Wonders of the World', and as the Wizard
he chants the dramatic midpoint curtain-closer 'Bring Me the Broomstick'.

Hope, who won the TV casting competition, has
color and warmth in her voice and delivers 'Over
the Rainbow' with control and without melodrama.
Even if she lacks Judy Garland's wistful charm
and vulnerability, she appears confident and
mimics successfully the original star's stride on
the stage treadmill that is the yellow brick
road. She's not helped by an adorable
scene-stealing Toto, one of four white West
Highland terriers that rotate in the role, who
remains calm amid flashing lights and sudden
bangs and barks at the Wizard on cue. The pooch,
though, declines to show any interest in the
malarkey of walking on any treadmill.

Crawford displays his skill as a master showman
in what are brief appearances (as in the film),
and Waddingham rides her broomstick with relish,
flying high above the crowd looking exactly like Margaret Hamilton.

Edward Baker-Duly as the Tin Man, David Ganly as
the Cowardly Lion and Paul Keating as the
Scarecrow go to school on their film counterparts
with fine movement and comic timing. Emily
Tierney makes her beautiful Good Witch Glinda
pleasingly droll, and there's a talented bunch of
children playing the Munchkins.

It's all tuneful and entertaining, but what
really takes your breath away is the wonderful
design. Just like the film, the stage show starts
off in black-and-white and then bursts into vivid
color. Everything is dull and khaki in Kansas,
and the video sequence created by Jon Driscoll
that shows the tornado is wonderfully out of this
world. Once Dorothy hits the road to Oz,
everything is bright and dazzling, with looming
sets inspired by Metropolis brought up from below
the Palladium's stage with panache.

The Wicked Witch's lair resembles Mad Max's
Thunderdome with fascistic soldiers marching with
masks and weapons, the Emerald City glows with
every green imaginable, and the Wizard's chamber
is like a daunting Gotham skyscraper.

The whole thing is a feast for the eyes.

Venue: London Palladium (running through Sept. 17)
Cast: Michael Crawford, Danielle Hope, Hannah
Waddingham, Edward Baker-Duly, David Ganly, Paul Keating, Emily Tierney
Music: Harold Arlen, Andrew Lloyd Webber
Lyrics: E.Y. Harburg, Tim Rice
Adapted by: Andrew Lloyd Webber, Jeremy Sams
Director: Jeremy Sams
Set and costume designer: Robert Jones
Musical director: Graham Hurman
Orchestrations: David Cullen
Projection designer: Jon Driscoll
Lighting designer: Hugh Vanstone
Sound designer: Mick Potter
Choreography: Arlene Phillips