REVIEW: The Wizard of Oz at Mayflower Theatre

There’s no place like home. There’s no place like home. There’s no place like…      Southampton? ‘The Wizard of Oz’ has travelled straight from The London Palladium, past the Emerald City and onto the stage at Mayflower Theatre. This is an updated, modernised version of the major motion picture starring Judy Garland (you may have heard of it), as well as the classic – timeless musical. I’m sure you all know how L.Frank Baum’s original story goes. Maybe not from the book itself, but more than likely from the film or one of the countless retellings it has had. So there’s definitely no shock when it comes to the story, it does what it says on the tin. But how has it caught audiences attentions again in a different way to make it feel new and exciting, whilst keeping that lasting story and sense of magic from the original?

Well, one way is by getting theatre royalty in to help with the adaptation. Andrew Lloyd Webber & Jeremy Sams have done a great job by modernising the feel of the musical, whilst keeping the narrative the same. No surprise with their impressive back catalogues. All the original songs you’d expect to hear are still in there, but you’ll hear them with some twists and a few new additions as well (but more on this later). I’m not going to bore you with a quick synopsis of the storyline but I will say that this is just as magical, bright and glamorous as any other adaptation you may have seen. It’s textbook classic, modern theatre. The theming and movement in particular help make this performance feel so big, and this is something that you can see the whole company have worked very hard on. Director and Resident Director, Nikolai Foster and Rebecca Louis, have done a brilliant job in managing the movement of set with the actors and any special effects that have been used. It never felt too cluttered, but it always felt busy and as if there was something going on; I think the cast play their part in this fantastically as well.

Choreographer, Shay Barclay, has choreographed the show amazingly, with the cast and ensemble executing it to perfection. 

The cast were brilliant. Playing the ‘Wicked Witch of the West’ was the ever fabulous The Vivienne, who was everything you’d expect her to be. Camp, fierce, and the perfect evil queen (I mean witch). Heading the show as ‘Dorothy’ is Aviva Tulley, who was sensational. Her rendition of ‘Somewhere Over The Rainbow’ left me with goosebumps, it was just beautiful (the adapted song is titled ‘Me Over The Rainbow’).

The relationship between her and her dog ‘Toto’ who was puppeteered by Abigail Matthews – was again incredibly touching. Matthews animated ‘Toto’ to perfection, even giving him a voice every now and then. Watching her was mesmerising, and you’d actually forget she was even there controlling ‘Toto’ at all, the best compliment for a puppeteer right? ‘The Scarecrow’ (Benjamin Yates), ‘The Tin Man’ (Marley Fenton), and ‘The Cowardly Lion’ (Nic Greensheilds), all shared a fantastic bond on stage – all individually with Dorothy and together. They each brought something special to their performances; and it certainly wasn’t a brain, a heart, or courage…   not until the end anyway (Spoiler!). They all get their fair share of laughter and applause and it was well earned! All of the cast had such a high level of energy and the choreography really elevated the musical as a whole. Choreographer, Shay Barclay, has choreographed the show amazingly, with the cast and ensemble executing it to perfection.  Bravo!

I’ve already mentioned how I thought the design was one of the key components in this adaptation being such a hit. The costumes, the lighting, the effects; they were all so Oz. I know that doesn’t make sense but it’s the best way to describe it. In terms of set, there wasn’t an awful lot of it. The show relied heavily on projections and pre-recored video to aid in the feel of being in a certain place. For a production of its size, I would’ve liked to have seen a few more pieces of set to help bring the magic of the story to life further.

The music was just wonderful.

The projections were very good, and at times very effective but I also feel that if you’re not sat central to the stage, then some of this ‘theatre magic’ can get lost very easily. Contradictory to this however, the ‘easter eggs’ to other shows and little jokes that were on the projections were a very nice touch – and they did help massively in modernising the show, giving it an edge we hadn’t seen before. The yellow brick road was one thing that I thought they did really well with; segmented pieces of moving set working together with the projections. To not reveal any spoilers, a certain scene with the ‘Wicked Witch of the West’ was also its own piece of theatre magic. 

The music was just wonderful. The mix of the old with the new was fantastic. Tim Rice (Additional Lyrics), has done a great job in modernising verses on top of the originals. By keeping the majority of the song original and classic, but adding a modern twist on the end meant you didn’t take away from the masterpiece that we all know, but made it something new that kept us listening. Incredibly refreshing. An example of this that sticks out would be in the songs, ‘If I Only Had A Brain/Heart/(The)Nerve’. The show also had a live orchestra, and a live orchestra completes a show. Musical Director, Iestyn Griffiths, and the orchestra left me with shivers – just incredible. The score was perfection. Powerful, soft, and well… theatrical. Almost cinematic. Towards the start of the show, I heard a member of the audience say, “This is almost like watching a movie”. I can’t say I completely disagree.

All in all, this is a really strong show. It was my first time seeing it and I was worried it was going to fall into the shadow of ‘Wicked’. However, I quickly realised that this is the love child between the original ‘Wizard of Oz’ and ‘Wicked’. Everything fell into place perfectly and they have avoided it becoming just another adaptation. It has its own feet (and ruby red slippers to match!). The cast were great, and it’s a feel good show that leaves you feeling good. Like I said, it does what it says on the tin. This is a musical for the whole family. Those that love the original, and those where this musical may become their original. If you get the chance to see ‘The Wizard of Oz’ and classic musicals are your thing, you should definitely see this one. ‘The Wizard of Oz’ is at Mayflower Theatre until January 21st before continuing on its UK tour and I wish the whole company the best of luck on the yellow brick road.