The Wizard of Oz

It’s more than 85 years since The Wizard of Oz burst onto our cinema screens and into our psyche. It is truly iconic and now a staple part of Community Theatre repertoire.

Sometimes the problem with an icon is that everyone expects to see a reproduction of the film, not possible on stage with any kind of budget. Fortunately, BLOC knows the show well, brings out a new production roughly every ten years, and chooses directors and casts with enough imagination to keep the show fresh whilst still paying homage to the original.

As a musical, it is a topsy turvy as the Land of Oz. It puts the 11 o’clock number up front in the first scene, has an overly long set-up BEFORE the tornado and doesn’t really hit its straps until the second Act; but when it does, it takes off like a tornado itself.

Director Gareth Grainger has cast the show magnificently and injected this production with a film-like quality by extensive use of video projection. It works a treat throughout and adds another dimension to the menace of the wicked witch and the magic of Oz itself.

But it’s the casting that makes or breaks any show…and this cast is very special.

Izzy Farrah is a delight as Dorothy. Her gorgeous soprano voice absolutely nails “Over The Rainbow” (a make or break moment for any actor) and she imbues Dorothy with enough attitude to clearly define for us that this is not the hesitant, somewhat bumbling Dororthy that Garland brought us all those years ago. This Dorothy is enough her own person to follow her own path, even if it is still a yellow brick road. Impressive indeed.

Rob Muirhead is a loveable tin man, appealing throughout, though he perhaps showed he already had a heart as he took on a tap routine with some trepidation. He also is the vocal director for the show and produces great harmonies from the ensemble.

Marcus Hovey channels Bert Lahr for the first five minutes as the Cowardly Lion, then settles into his lion skin to give us an utterly endearing performance that is first rate Hovey rather than a Lahr copy.

But the breakout performance of this “family” is Charlie McGiness as the scarecrow. Immensely talented and already possessing stage presence that many performers would kill for, this young performer - still only 17 - could surely pursue a professional career in Music Theatre if he chose and VCA would be lucky to have him. He owned the stage with every entrance and has comic appeal galore and great physical presence.

Rachel Angee creates two distinct characters of Miss Gulch and the Wicked Witch of the West. She is appropriately annoying and overbearing as the former, but wonderfully menacing and charismatic as the latter and , as her nemesis Glinda the good witch…and the much-loved Auntie Em… Jessica Wilkinson brings all the warmth and understanding needed for the roles.

There are two delightful cameo roles that made me smile from start to finish. Tim Gay clearly has a wealth of experience and the aura of a true pro as Professor Marvel and The Wizard. Obviously a dancer, he moves with great style and panache and makes a meal out of every entrance.  Callan Lewis is pleasant as Uncle Henry but positively owns the stage as the Wizard’s head guard. These two performers should be giving lessons in stage presence to some of the younger ensemble.

The ensemble, both senior and junior, are the bedrock of the production and justify the importance of that role throughout. It’s a huge cast, and when you remember that each and every one of them is a volunteer with a primary life outside of the theatre, the mind boggles.

Sarah Barlow confidently leads the large orchestra which did sound a little thin in places in the first act, but we all know that first night nerves are to be expected across the board. By the time we got to “The Jitterbug”, they were in full force.

Every member of the production team deserves kudos and heartfelt thanks for keeping this iconic classic alive. It is, at heart, a story about finding out who you really are and what matters in life. And if there truly is “No place like Home” … the home is our hearts, and that’s where this very special show belongs.

Coral Drouyn