REVIEW: A magical journey with the Wizard of Oz wows north-east audiences
With the weather outside reminiscent of the twister that hits Kansas in the story, The Wizard of Oz transported a packed audience at His Majesty’s Theatre in Aberdeen to another world filled with the heartwarming tale of Dorothy and her adventures.
Aviva Tulley as Dorothy was immediately taken to heart by the audience as we followed her on her journey from her adopted home on a farm to the Land of Oz and the trip back home again.
As the production mixes old and new musical numbers, it’s not long before the iconic Over the Rainbow makes an appearance and Tulley’s rendition was both powerful and engaging from the off, leaving the audience fully enraptured by her performance throughout.
Along the way she meets the Scarecrow, played with a light hearted touch by Benjamin Yates, the Tin Man by Femi Akinfolarin with impressive robotic moves and the Cowardly Lion by scene stealer Nic Greenshields in a take on Bert Lahr’s iconic film role with all the vocal intonations of the original, coupled with commanding vocals.
And talking of scene stealing, who else but The Wicked Witch of the West herself could command the stage.
Craig Revel Horwood’s enthusiasm and pitching of the antagonist on the hunt for the ruby slippers kept on the right side of drifting into a pantomime dame performance, with just the occasional touch of Strictly judge and at one point Kenny Everett’s Cupid Stunt character (for those of us of a certain age).
The titular Wizard of Oz saw Scottish theatrical legend Allan Stewart slip into character with great sincerity and wonderfully pitched eccentricity while Emily Bull as Glinda glided through her entrances and exits on her scooter with a delightful nod to Barbie and with impressively quick changes also took on the role of Aunty Em alongside David Burrows as Uncle Henry.
No production of The Wizard of Oz would be complete without Toto and on Wednesday’s opening night, Tyler Ephraim acted as the puppet master bringing great personality to the dog whilst almost effortlessly blending in to every scene he appeared in.
With an ensemble cast who bring high energy and enthusiasm to the production, the updated touch to the classic tale is still firmly rooted in the version most of the audience would be visualising, and with modern staging techniques and some that hark back to the Victorian age including front and back projection combined with a more minimalist approach to scenery, the action is firmly focused on a first rate cast who welcome you along on an incredible journey.