The set remains sparse for the opening scenes in rural Kansas. A large LED video wall at the rear of the stage whisks the audience through locations as we’re introduced to Hunk, Hickory, Zeke, Professor Marvel, Aunt Em, Uncle Henry and Dorothy … not forgetting little Toto the dog. Watch out for a familiar looking face cycling across the stage before applying the green make-up of the Wicked Witch of the West.
Related Articles
After the storm, the action builds up a somewhat relentless pace that blows the story along the yellow-brick road – whose giant arrows on dollies must look spectacular from the up in the Circle and the Gods – picking up the Scarecrow (Benjamin Yates), the Tin Man (Femi Akinfolarin with great choreography in his first ‘stiff’ scene) and the Cowardly Lion (Nic Greenshields) en route to the Emerald City and the interval.
While Aviva Tulley has the shortest bio in the programme, she exhibits the most beautiful singing voice and delivers a vibrant performance as Dorothy. Wherever Dorothy goes, Toto follows, and Abigail Matthews is a continuous presence on stage animating the puppet which interacts with cast members, nuzzling, gesturing, and at one point, even talking. The fact that Toto even has his own follow-spot in a later scene is a sign of how important this non-human character and his talented puppeteer are to the story.
Craig Revel Horwood’s love of musical theatre and his performing flair merge to create a fun but fierce Wicked Witch of the West. Other than one “fab-u-lous” that’s craftily thrown into the dialogue as a giant wink to his role as a judge on Strictly Come Dancing, he’s very definitely on stage as the witch rather than a camped-up pantomime version of himself.
The video wall is driven by Unreal Engine software which allows animations in the backdrop to be cued at will, like the release of balloons when the actors hit a mark rather than the whole show having to be tied to the timings of a pre-rendered animation. The video design is well integrated into the action – the sideways rain makes it feel like the whole stage is caught in a storm – though there is a tendency for complex objects in the mid-to-near view like the spinning windmill to become noticeably jerky which sometimes tarnishes the magic as we fly through certain scenes and these objects get larger.
While there’s an old-fashioned feel to the steampunk props and costumes – love the bright culottes worn by the yellow brick road Munchkins! – someone takes an anachronistic selfie and good witch Glinda (Emily Bull) has a rather smart remote control to tame her Wicked cousin. Bull can certainly hit the high notes in Already Home, although her low energy entrances onto the stage atop a pink electric scooter lack the pizazz of the rest of the show.Director Nikolai Foster successfully marries a lot of technology – and the associated production risk – alongside great performances, a riot of colour in the costumes, powerful live music from the pit, and a confident grip of what The Wizard of Oz stands for in the minds and memories of the audience. That, and throwing in “a couple of la-de-das” for good measure!
A modern retelling might cast Glinda as a manipulative ‘good’ witch who coerces a child into a needless and dangerous journey to see a charlatan pretending to be a wizard in a bid to murder her ‘wicked’ rival. Instead, this production feels like it’s related to Doctor Who, willing characters to find their inner steel and go on a journey of self-discovery to find out that they are enough and their good can overcome other’s evil.
If you tap your heels together three times and click on the Grand Opera House website, you could find yourself in one of the remaining seats for this run that continues in Belfast until Sunday 26 May before spending next week in Dublin’s Bord Gáis Energy Theatre.
Enjoyed this review? Why not click on the Buy Me a Tea button!
