If you’ve not seen The Wizard of Oz, or don’t know the basic premise of the story, or haven’t (at least once in your life) quoted something referencing it then you’ve been living under a crashed house…which is more than the wicked witch of the east was doing…am I right? (that was a terrible reference and I’m not even sorry)
Musicals can be hit or miss for me, but this was a massive hit. The visuals of the videography make this show something else, very trippy and dream like at some points which left me open mouthed in awe smiling from ear to ear.
It has all the songs from the film we love and know, with an added score from Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice, so the whole show was catchy with no songs that lost my interest!
The Vivienne, the star or many Drag Race shows, and a star within her own right on various other TV shows such as Dancing on Ice, is an amazing Wicked Witch of the West and got the reception to stage that she deserved. Aviva Tulley brings Dorothy (your friend, and mine) to life and gave me goose bumps when she sang Somewhere Over The Rainbow. Benjamin Yates had my friend swooning as the Scarecrow, Femi Akinfolarin body popped into the rol of Tin Man, and Nic Greenshields was the most courageous of Cowardly Lions. Abigail Matthews held my attention almost the whole way through the show as the puppeteer for Toto, I’m always so fascinated watching something being brought to life like that and forgetting there’s an actual person behind the magic.
This is up there with one of my favourite musicals I’ve seen. It’s fun, its colourful, its full of humour, and its one for the entire family.
Review by Johnny Banks
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