Stars outshine the magic along the way

The Wizard of Oz reviewed by Bryce Hallett

“We’re off to see the Wizard” will be a familiar catch-cry this holiday season whether it’s the Yellow Brick Road quest of Dorothy on stage or the magical adventures of Harry on film.

This latest stage incarnation of L.Frank Baum’s musical faithfully adapts the movie featuring Harold Arlen and E. Harburg’s fine score and such catchy tunes as The Wicked Witch, Merry Old Land of Oz and, of course, Over the Rainbow the show starter and stopper.

The colourful production designed by Roger Kirk could do with a few more marvels to propel it more spectacularly along, especially in the second act, but the energetic cast make the most of the big musical moments they are given.

Nikki Webster, who shot to fame in the Olympic Games opening ceremony, travels down the immortal Yellow Brick Road and takes her own distinctive, confident and irrepressible route. She receives top billing, her profile and drawing power among young people good reason to present the much-loved work, especially for a new generation.

What Webster’s acting lacks in light and shade she makes up for in determination and resolve and her performance, as evidenced on opening night, will delight her many fans. It is unreasonable to expect or demand a teenager to have the depth of emotion or the craft to make the quest richer but that may come in time as the production settles in.

I hasten to add, however, that from the moment she comes on stage with her constant companion Toto, the audience is clearly on side and eager to be swept up in the spirited adventure.

It would be no show without the play of good versus evil and with the demise of the Wicked Witch of the East, it falls to Pamela Rabe to cast her memorable spell as the incandescent green menace from the West. Rabe practically steals the show and splendidly realises the dark and droll creature given the wittiest lines and the most fiery entrances and exits. She adds verve and character, her presence sorely missed when she’s not on stage.

Capably directed by Nancye Hayes and choreographed by Kelly Aykers, The Wizard of Oz is good-hearted family entertainment. Among a generally strong cast, rising star Kane Alexander equips himself superbly as the fluid and fragile Scarecrow and makes the song If I Only Had a Brain a pure delight. It is in this vaudeville-style number combining three sardonic song and dance crows that Webster also shines.

Philip Gould, a consistently fine performer, does a terrific turn as the rusty Tinman while one could hardly imagine a more appropriate Cowardly Lion than the one Doug Parkinson projects. Bert Newton adds his resourceful line of comedy to the roles of the Wizard and Professor Marvel, his timing and pitch that of a veteran accustomed to playing to an audience and yielding the requisite number of laughs.

The Act II settings of the Emerald City and the Witch’s castle are visually appealing but the script itself gets bogged down and one Winkies’ March was more than enough for me. The staging would benefit from some additional mystery and magic as well as a more sure-footed momentum in which the tricks and illusions are better disguised.

One of the most pleasurable scenes comes when a vibrant field of poppies spring into bloom and Delia Hannah’s somewhat muted Glinda restores order and sets Dorothy and gang back on the path. Now that is something to see.

Source: Sydney Morning Herald

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