The Wizard of Oz
Music by Harold Arlen, Lyrics by E.Y. Harburg
Additional Music by Andrew Lloyd Webber, Lyrics by Tim Rice
Directedy by Jeremy Sams
The Fox Theatre
May 13, 2014
Danielle Wade, Jamie McKnight, Lee MacDougall, Mike Jackson
Photo by Cylla Von Tiedemann
Wizard of Oz
The real “wizard” behind the curtain of this latest production of The Wizard of Oz is Andrew Lloyd Webber. Having produced this show first in London and then in Toronto, casting the lead via a reality talent competition both times, Lloyd Webber has put his own stamp on the time-honored classic, re-teaming with lyricist Tim Rice to write additional songs for the show and assembling an excellent design team to create a unique look for the production. The current US Tour of the production, starring most of the Toronto cast, has now arrived at the Fox Theatre, and while the overall production isn’t quite as grand as it was in London, it still provides for a tuneful, colorful and entertaining evening of theatre suitable for all ages.
The story here is familiar to basically everyone, having been taken mostly from the classic MGM film. Dorothy Gale (Danielle Wade) and her dog Toto (an adorable Cairn terrier named Nigel) are whisked away by a cyclone to the magical land of Oz, where Dorothy, advised by Glinda the Good Witch of the North (Robin Evan Willis), heads off on a journey to the Emerald City to meet the Wizard (Jay Brazeau) in the hope that he will be able to help her get back to her home in Kansas. Along the way, she meets the Scarecrow (Jamie McKnight), the Tin Man (Mike Jackson) and the Cowardly Lion (Lee MacDougall), all the while being antagonized by the vengeful Wicked Witch of the West (Jacquelyn Piro Donovan), who is determined to capture Dorothy in order to obtain the precious Ruby Slippers, with which Dorothy has been entrusted. It’s a classic tale of friendship, bravery and the importance of home, and all those familiar elements are here, with a few mostly stylistic elements from L. Frank Baum’s original book (such as the Munchkins all dressed in blue) thrown in for good measure.
I was fortunate enough to have been able to see the original London production of this show three years ago, and I found it spectacularly staged and extremely well-cast. This production has obviously been scaled down for touring, and for the most part, it still looks good, with colorful sets and costumes by Robert Jones, and strong choreography by Arlene Phillips. It’s probably not fair to compare too much, and most of the people seeing this show will not have seen it in London, but I can’t help but wish this version still had some of the scale of the original. Where the scaling down shows the most is in the lack of flying effects (the Witches mostly just walk everywhere, and the Monkeys don’t really fly), and in the Munchkinland scene, where the staging comes across as cluttered and cramped. Also, several of the backdrops have a one dimensional quality, and when Dorothy and friends on the Yellow Brick Road finally see the Emerald City in the distance, it looks a lot like a flat Christmas tree. Still, even with those issues, the show manages to entertain. The Kansas scenes look great here, and I’m also especially impressed by some of the dancing that I don’t remember from the London show, such as an impressive rhythmic baton-clicking dance by the Winkies (the Wicked Witch’s minions) near the end of the show.
In terms of the cast, this production does well. Wade makes an engaging, likable, slightly tomboyish Dorothy, and her voice is strong on the iconic “Over the Rainbow”. Despite seeming oddly out of breath through much of the first act, Wade displays a strong bond with her three companions and, especially, with Toto. McKnight makes a fine, goofy and forgetful Scarecrow, and Jackson is in great form as a swaggering Tin Man. MacDougall, as the Lion, is funny delivering his many one-liners, although he seems a little too over-the-top at times. The Witches–Willis as a particularly snarky version of Glinda and Donovan as the menacing Wicked Witch–play well in their antagonistic relationship on stage, and Donovan delivers the new “Red Shoes Blues” with gusto. As Professor Marvel (in Kansas) and the Wizard, Brazeau is charming and sympathetic, if not a particularly powerful singer. The ensemble here is strong as well, especially in the dancing.
For the most part, I would say that this incarnation of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s The Wizard of Oz is a crowd-pleasing success. While not quite as spectacular as the earlier London production, this version still has many strengths and is an excellent show for families. It’s not exactly like the film, and visually it looks very different, but the story is essentially the same. The poignant and familiar finale (with a slight twist) is especially well-done here, leaving the audience with a sense of wonder and hope.
Danielle Wade, Mike Jackson,Jamie McKnight
Photo by Cylla Von Tiedemann
The Wizard of Oz