BOA Group The Wizard of Oz at The Old Rep Theatre - Review
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Tue 26 Nov 2024 - Tue 31 Dec 2024
BOA Group has swapped its usual Christmas musical for a pantomime this year and has chosen the classic tale of
The Wizard of Oz.
Termed a ‘pantomime adventure’, the show is a bit of a hybrid as it doesn’t have enough songs to be a musical and yet has too much story to be a typical pantomime. It’s more of a
Wizard of Oz play with some slapstick humour and panto refrains added in than an actual pantomime.
Originally written by Tom Whalley, the show has been given plenty of Brummie references by Janice Connolly as comedy dramaturg with jokes about Weoley Castle and the Wicked Witch of the West Midlands and topical references including Donald Trump and the Crooked House pub.
The script though could make more of the fact the Munchkins are recast as
Peaky Blinders - there is a mine of comedy and local reference there which is hardly tapped.
Directed by Lorna Laidlaw, this is a very up-tempo
Wizard of Oz and certainly not as creepy as the famous 1939 MGM film. The show is also family friendly with a few fart jokes being as naughty as the humour goes.
The main roles are taken by professional actors with Jaiden Tsang giving us an energetic and engaging Dorothy. Here’s a girl determined to make the best of a sticky situation, encourage her fellow travellers and fight for what’s right.
Denise Pitter's Glinda is a little like the Fairy Godmother of pantoland, turning up whenever needed to wave her magic wand. Pitter also has some great comic timing and is a friendly link between the narrative and the audience, frequently stepping aside to speak to us.
Avital Kagan gives us high-pitched meanness as the Wicked Witch of the West. She’s more stompy and stampy than evilly cunning but she gives the role plenty of gusto.
Oraine Johnson’s Tin Man is loveable and a bit cheeky as he frequently breaks into Ricky Montgomery’s smoochy 'Mr Loverman' song, Jordan Laidley’s Lion is a real scaredy cat with a soft centre and Julie Baker’s Scarecrow is an audience favourite - shouting out her catchphrase ‘all right bab’ for a response.
The production doesn’t feature any of the songs made famous by the film and it has to be said that does feel like a gap. While there are numerous renditions of
The Wiz’s 'Ease On Down The Road, 'a Lion-based version of Katy Perry’s 'Roar' and 'Old MacDonald Had a Farm,' you can’t help but find your brain is singing 'Follow the Yellow Brick Road.'
The show looks fantastic with Ebrahim Nazier’s sets given hugely imaginative illumination by Richard G Jones’ lighting which casts rainbows and snowstorms across the stage and into the auditorium. Leanne Fitchett’s costumes are inventive and fun from Dorothy’s blue gingham dress through to the Wizard in a green robe and pyjama ensemble.
BOA students are heavily involved in the technical elements of the show but it feels like a missed opportunity to only feature half a dozen in the cast. Past Christmas, productions have been a great showcase for the BOA students and a chance for them to gain valuable onstage experience.
In many ways it is the students’ involvement which sets the BOA Group Christmas show apart so it would have been nice to see more of them in the final production.
That said, this is a family-friendly slice of Christmas entertainment which will warm the cockles of your heart and have you laughing along at its blend of daftness and drama.
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298704 - 2024-12-02 11:05:36