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A CurtainUp 
London Review
London ReviewThe Wizard of Oz
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Somewhere, over the rainbow, way up high.
There's a land that I heard of Once in a lullaby. Somewhere, over the rainbow, skies are blue. And the dreams that you dare to dream Really do come true. Someday I'll wish upon a star and wake up where the clouds are far Behind me. Where troubles melt like lemon drops, Away above the chimney tops. That's where you'll find me. Somewhere, over the rainbow, bluebirds fly. Birds fly over the rainbow, Why then - oh, why can't I? If happy little bluebirds fly beyond the rainbow, Why, oh, why can't I? — Dorothy |
Danielle Hope as Dorothy (Photo: Keith Pattison) |
Designer Robert Jones has created some techni-colourful costumes and sets with Hugh Vanstone's expert lighting and using the Palladium's double revolve and the projected filmed sequences of the cyclone we are whisked from Kansas to Munchkinland. Director Jeremy Sams and Andrew Lloyd Webber are credited with the adaptation from the Classic Motion Picture.
Of all the musical performers cast by television, Danielle Hope was everyone's favourite from the very early stages for her lovely personality, her acting skill and the fit with the quirky character of Dorothy, so expectations are very high. However Judy Garland's crystal clear singing voice is almost impossible to recreate live onstage. Contrasting with the newcomer as Dorothy is veteran musical performer Michael Crawford as Professor Marvel and The Wizard. Michael Crawford originated the role of Phantom in The Phantom of the Opera in 1986 and is certainly a draw in the West End.
The first set conveys Kansas with a tall wind generator silhouetted against the sky and skewed log cabin houses, later there are perspective shots of telegraph poles and wires lined up against the horizon, these reality sets contrasting with the rainbow country, the powder blue Munchkin townscape, the St Patrick's Day greens of the Emerald City, the mechanical pipes and wheels and dials of the Wizard's home, the poppy fields surrounding the Yellow Brick Road and the dark revolving tower of the Wicked Witch of the West's Tower peopled with live and scary gargoyles. It is spectacularly surreal but vaguely plastic, out Disneying Disney. The filmed tornado sequences suck everything into a whirling vortex of cinematic confusion.
Danielle Hope's big number is very early on as only the second song in the show although it is reprised in the rather slow second act. Toto (Bobby, Razzamatazz, Dazzle or Topper), Dorothy's little dog is a real scene stealer: in fact it is hard to take your eyes off the West Highland White terrier when he is onstage as the perfect acting pooch does all that is expected of him, including running off stage enthusiastically, presumably to where the trainer is calling in the wings with more of the biscuits that Dorothy scatters in the early scenes. It's true the old adage, "Never work with children or animals!"
Dorothy's three companions are well sung and well costumed, particularly the Scarecrow (Paul Keating whose lovely personality shines through the straw) and the interesting stiffly motioned Tin Man (Edward Baker-Duly) but I found the lion costume for David Ganly disappointing with its strangely elongated tail. Hannah Waddingham has an awful witch's profile as the bicycling Miss Ganly with the stripey stockings and is of course bright green as the Wicked Witch of the West, a shock for those of us more used to the green, but beautiful Elphaba in Wicked. Miss Waddingham is a thorough West End professional, she flies out into the auditorium and she has one of the new songs especially written for her, "Red Shoes Blues" but we wished we could have heard more of her singing voice.
Choreographically the Munchkins are annoyingly enthusiastic as crowd scenes can be in musicals under the leadership of sugar sweet Glinda (Emily Tierney) but Arlene Phillips' dance comes to the fore in the dark and sinister scenes of the March of the Witch's Winkies, the winged, masked, monkey militia with exciting marching music.
It will be interesting to compare the audience reaction to The Wizard of Oz with the hugely popular sequel Wicked whom many will have seen before they go to Oz. I found that whilst The Wizard of Oz may have all the ingredients on paper as whole it failed to engage me emotionally. I was never caught up with the story and the only character I really cared about was Toto.
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| The Wizard of Oz
Book by Frank L Baum Music by Harold Arlen Lyrics by EY Harburg Additional Lyrics: Tim Rice Additional Music: Andrew Lloyd Webber Adapted by Andrew Lloyd Webber and Jeremy Sams Directed by Jeremy Sams Starring: Danielle Hope, Michael Crawford, Paul Keating, Hannah Waddingham, Bobby/Razzamatazz/Dazzle or Topper, Emily Tierney, David Ganly, Edward Baker-Duly, Stephen Scott, Helen Walsh, Zeph, Edward Hayes-Neary With: David Birch, Florence Andrews, Marianne Benedict, Adam Bracegirdle, Ashley Day, AC Garcia, Emily Goodenough, Ryan Gover, Emma Housley, Tom Kanavan, Carly Meyers, Terel Nugent, Adam Salter, Rachel Spurrell, Carrie Sutton, Jay Webb, Liam Wrate, Matthew Barrow, Rebecca Howell, Luke Johnson, Ceili O'Connor, Richard Roe, Oliver Roll, Anna Woodside, Sophie Evans Set and Costumes: Robert Jones Orchestrations: David Cullen Musical Director: Graham Hurman Projection Designer: Jon Driscoll Lighting: High Vanstone Running time: Two hours 30 minutes including one interval Box Office: 0844 412 2704 Booking to 17th September 2011 Reviewed by Lizzie Loveridge based on 3rd March 2011 performance at The London PalladiumArts Theatre, 6-7 Great Newport street, London WC2 7JB (Tube: Leicester Square) |
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Musical Numbers (* indicates new songs by Tim Rice and Andrew Lloyd Webber)
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Act One
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Act Two
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