![](\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEjvLTw9bhwOFQFNtnWOqQ8DfEJdhZg3gvrzwg8WO0Q_bCRB8b_h7zD1kNDLbbh-yteXnI5MbSrcGTX52lbotBakTCgxzhMjm5F7ZisD1Wfh5WhmtyQdLq5SzVZ3a1cXq-3zOk10FdHXISN-Ntocwt9xeQXuKXmzQFxNHPAOve5_mHyxhiLWA7wjZchc\/s4600\/(L-R)%20Ben%20Thompson%20(Toto),%20Jonny%20Fines%20(Scarecrow),%20Georgina%20Onuorah%20(Dorothy),%20Paul%20French%20(Tin%20Man)%20and%20Giovanni%20Spano%CC%81%20-%20Photography%20by%20Marc%20Brenner.jpg\")
<\/a><\/p>\nThe Wizard of Oz has had a wierd relationship with the theatre. Of all of the retellings of L. Frank Baum\u2019s basic youngsters\u2019s novel, the 1939 MGM starring Judy Garland is undoubtedly the best-known and as such, all diversifications shall be in comparison with it. Despite its seemingly massive potential, the wondrous world of Oz has typically felt stagnant within the theatre and variations have solely managed brief runs earlier than being relegated to countless performances by faculties and novice dramatic societies.<\/span><\/p>\n However, regardless of a promising begin within the West End, even that manufacturing \u2013 which had the advantage of a large theatre and an enormous publicity marketing campaign behind it – closed in 2012 and has not been seen within the UK since \u2013 till now.<\/span><\/p>\n Esteemed director Nikolai Foster \u2013 who has an extended historical past with the Leicester Curve and at the moment serves as Artistic Director \u2013 is on the helm of this yr\u2019s Christmas manufacturing and it’s clear from the beginning simply how decided he has been to move the magical world of Oz into the considerably restricted area, making heavy use of bold video footage and intelligent graphics all through, however it is usually very clear from the offset that he’s needs to do to an Oz that differs from the model everybody is aware of.<\/span><\/p>\n If I Only Had the Part…<\/span><\/p>\n Casting animals on stage is all the time a little bit of a contentious problem, however on this manufacturing, Dorothy\u2019s beloved canine Toto is a puppet expertly operated by Ben Thompson.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n The standout efficiency of the night was Jonny Fines; along with his physicality and comedian timing, he actually embodied the character of the brainless Scarecrow and charmed mother and father and youngsters alike along with his rendition of \u2018If I Only Had a Brain\u2019, whereas Giovanni Spano was loveable because the Lion who longed for braveness.<\/span><\/p>\n Christina Bianco was a sugary candy Glinda with a voice to match and seemed extra like a Barbie doll along with her sizzling pink motorcycle and matching outfit, whereas more-than-capable understudy Ellie Mitchell took on the function of the Wicked Witch of the West instead of former \u2018Britain\u2019s Got Talent\u2019 star Charlotte Jaconelli \u2013 who was indisposed on account of sickness \u2013 as she performed a comic book but sultry antagonist who made her cackling entrances and exits additionally using on a bicycle.<\/span><\/p>\n I\u2019ve a sense we\u2019re not in Oz anymore…<\/span><\/p>\n While the set \u2013 designed by Colin Richmond \u2013 is little question a murals, it’s a million miles away from the Oz most are accustomed to and as an alternative resembles a dystopian New York City with metropolis-style junk yards, seeming to echo the Motown musical \u2018The Wiz.\u2019<\/span><\/p>\n With projections by Douglas O\u2019Connell, Emerald City resembles a high-tech Tokyo with numerous manufacturers corresponding to \u2018Ozney\u2019 and \u2018OzBucks \u2013 and a sweet but contrived poster of Judy Garland hanging in the middle – glaring loud and proud.<\/span><\/p>\n
<\/span><\/a>This model \u2013 with extra music by Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice – was first staged in 2011 on the London Palladium and got here to fruition via the BBC expertise present Over the Rainbow, which sought to search out an unknown actress to play Dorothy and was received by then- 18-year-old musical theatre prodigy Danielle Hope, who has gone on to an illustrious profession within the arts.<\/span><\/div>\n
<\/span><\/a>Georgina Onuorah \u2013 recent from starring within the West End manufacturing of Andrew Lloyd Webber\u2019s Cinderella – is taking part in the function of Dorothy this time and steamrolls her means via the half with confidence and bodily sass in a fashion much like that of Hairspray heroine Tracy Turnblad. A really a stark distinction to the wide-eyed innocence of the legendary Judy Garland however her rendition of the evergreen torch music \u2018Over the Rainbow\u2019 was amplified into an almost-too-soon eleven o\u2019clock quantity and met with rapturous applause.<\/span><\/div>\n
<\/span><\/a>Paul French seemed each bit the Tin Man who wished a coronary heart in his very convincing go well with however sadly decides to play the character as actually heartless, as an alternative of lacking a coronary heart, which means he spits each line and fires off a collection of disdain appears all through the present. A chilly and bitter manner doesn’t work for a personality who has had a coronary heart all alongside and it renders the Tin Man unlikeable.<\/span><\/div>\n