Cast
Dorothy – Nikki Webster
Toto – Toto/R.J.
Aunt Em/Glinda – Deliah Hannah (Sydney), Patti Newton (Melbourne)
Uncle Henry – Tony Geappen
Hickory/Tinman – Philip Gould
Hunk/Scarecrow – Kane Alexander (Sydney), Derek Metzger (Melbourne)
Zeke/Cowardly Lion – Doug Parkinson
Almira Gultch/Wicked Witch – Pamela Rabe
Professor Marvel/Emerald City Gatekeeper/The Wizard Of Oz – Bert Newton
Dates
Lyric Theatre, Sydney
29 November, 2001 – 24 February, 2002
Regent Theatre, Melbourne
29 June – 5 October, 2002
Lyric Theatre, QPAC, Brisbane
21 November – 22 December, 2002
Reviews
“Nikki Webster plays Dorothy in this well known and much loved tale of dreams and home spun values. As a young teenager she is placed in the dubious position of being compared to the eternal icon Judy Garland, who was older than Webster when she made the film this production is based upon. When so much of the production depends on the MGM film for inspiration it is difficult not to compare, but Webster and her co-stars don’t fare so badly at all. I would go one step further to say it’s nice to hear a Dorothy who is actually a little green and sort of tweaky. While Judy Garland will never fade away as the first Dorothy, Webster has a far more childish quality and sound in her very nicely developed voice. Webster isn’t new to the stage, but she has a newness that is appealing, and she does a fine job of carrying the show in her scenes. Working alongside some of Australia’s most loved performers, such as Bert Newton, Phillip Gould and Pamela Rabe can only serve to further develop Webster’s strength as an actor.”
– David Jobling, Qstage
“The central role of Dorothy – made unforgettable by Judy Garland and utterly forgettable by Diana Ross – is performed with engaging poise by Nikki Webter, familiar to anyone who saw the Sydney Olympics opening ceremony.”
– Stephen Carroll, The Age
“…it is a well-known and well-loved cast, starting with Australia’s Olympic opening ceremony star Nikki Webster…Nikki Webster is a tiny 15-year-old. With her slight figure and appealing little face, her struggle against the forces of evil, in the shape of Miss Gultch and the Wicked Witch of the West, takes on a David and Goliath quality. In a sense this means that her relatively small voice, notably lacking the colour and depth of Judy Garland’s, becomes http://www.mentalhealthupdate.com/klonopin.html an asset in emphasising her vulnerability. So Dorothy’s sudden eruptions of anger and courage surprise her adversaries and help win the day, despite Webster’s limited range of expressions and movements.”
– Helen Thomson, The Age
“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.”
– Bryce Hallett, Sydney Morning Herald
Pictures
Live Australian Cast Recording
{ Tracklist }
Interview
From Smash Hits magazine
What’s the first thing you do when you get the script?
Basically I just read through it and highlight all my lines.
How do you learn your lines?
I read it a couple of times and then the night before I came in to rehearsals I asked my Mum to read the other parts for me.
What’s your standard day at rehearsal?
When we first came in, we just started blocking, which is getting told where to stand and what actions to do, when to run and when to not run. Then we started running scenes together to see how it flows through and then we did a full run through.
Things were still being changed in rehearsal today. It looks like it’s an ongoing process?
Definitely. Things are always chopping and changing. They still might change when we get into the theatre depending on how it looks from above and below.
How do you get into character when you’re rehearsing out of costume?
It’s quite easy, you just snap into it. You just have to get into the character and play the character the way you think it should be played.
What do you normally do in the five minutes before you go onstage?
I’m standing by the stage ready to go and getting into character. I’ll think about my first lines and what’s going to happen onstage – going through it all really quickly in my brain.
Have you ever forgotten a line in a show and what happens if you do?
No I haven’t…touchwood. When you’re working with other people, there’s always someone who’ll jump in to help you out and improvise.
How does stage acting compare to screen acting?
Well, you just have to give it a lot more because you’re trying to get it across all the levels where people are sitting. You just have to act it as big as you can. And you have to go straight through, too.
Is each performance different?
It definitely is. As you get into the run of the show, you get to know everybody better and you bounce off each other. Also, you get different reactions from the audience. Some things that you might not think are funny, they laugh at. Also, having performances at different times of the day means different types of people come to each show.
What’s the first thing you do after you come off stage?
I unzip my costume coz I’ll be really hot, and take my mic off. Then I take my make-up off and have a drink of water.
What sort of things do you have in your dressing room?
Up until now I’ve always shared a dressing room because I’ve been with a lot of other kids. I don’t think I’ll be sharing this time so I don’t know what I’ll have in there. I’ll probably put up some fun stuff – maybe have a lolly jar, a CD player. A few bits and pieces.
Do you remember the first time you saw The Wizard Of Oz?
I don’t remember the first time I watched it but I never really understood that the Lion, the Tin Man and the Scarecrow were the men who worked on Dorothy’s farm. I thought it was actually happening and it was new things happening to her as she went along.
Were you a fan of the film when you were younger?
I was very into Dorothy. I had the ruby slippers and I had the dress made up as well.
Who is your favourite character?
I like them all because they’re all different in their own way – and with the actors playing the parts now, they do it so well, it’s like they’re the first ones to do it.
What’s your favourite song from the show?
Definitely Somewhere Over The Rainbow but I like a lot of the character songs like We’re Off To See The Wizard with the Munchkins – that’s a lot of fun.
What’s your favourite part of the show?
Oh gee, that’s hard because I love it all. I can’t wait to see what everybody looks like in their costumes in Munchkinland. They’re going to have such bright costumes and lots of colours. I think when Dorothy’s house lands in Oz, that’s going to be a great scene.
Is the play going to be exactly the same as the movie?
It’s the same storyline as the movie but there are so many new bits and so many exciting bits that are going to happen, and a few secrets! There’s quite a few funny bits with the Lion, the Tin Man and the Scarecrow – well we think they’re funny anyway. I can’t wait to get the audience into the theatre.
Is it hard to work with a dog?
Oh, they’re very good and have a trainer who helps me as well. They started rehearsals when we did and sometimes I think “They’re better than me! They know what they’re doing.” I have to be aware of them, that they don’t get stepped on by the cast, but I’m learning to control them and stop them from jumping up.
Articles
» Old and young troupers bring fresh wizardry to Oz – The Age, 1 July 2002
» Nikki Follows Yellow Brick Road – Herald Sun, 5 December 2001
» Stars outshine the magic along the way – Sydney Morning Herald, 3 December 2001
» Friends of Dorothy – Sydney Morning Herald, 1 December 2001
» Nikki For Garland Role – Sydney Confidential, 28 June 2001
[ Read more articles tagged with The Wizard Of Oz. ]
