Play & Go Review | The Wizard of Oz
The opening show in Adelaide was pretty spectacular! The Wizard of Oz is dazzling in every way. Amazing sets definitely made us feel that we were not in Kansas anymore and clever video effects transported us to the magical Land of Oz, and back again. Colourful detailed costumes brought all the characters to life and Glinda the Good Witch has the sparkliest dress you have ever seen.
Dorothy’s friends the Scarecrow (played by Eli Cooper), Tin Woodman (Alex Rathgeber) and the Lion (John Xintavelonis), are totally endearing in their portrayals with charm and humour too (with some jokes thrown in for a few laughs). There were brilliant performances all round with strong singing and a fabulous musical score.
Lucy Durack lights up the stage (literally too in that sparkly dress) as the super sweet fairy godmother-like Good Witch, watching over Dorothy. Jemma Rix plays the Wicked Witch of the West with plenty of aplomb and evil glee. Anthony Warlow was convincing as Professor Marvel and the Wizard.
Samantha Dodemaide as Dorothy charmed us more as the show went on, and sang beautifully throughout, doing justice to everyone’s favourite “Somewhere Over the Rainbow”.
The ensemble play a huge part and are absolutely outstanding, and so versatile – the choreography is lively and brings the story to life on the stage. Songs included Somewhere Over the Rainbow, Follow the Yellow Brick Road, If I Only Had a Heart, The Merry Old Land of Oz, Ding Dong the Witch is Dead.
And then there’s the cutest character of all – Toto the dog – who appears on the stage throughout much of the show as Dorothy’s companion.
My only disappointment was that the finale didn’t include one more big rendition of Somewhere Over the Rainbow – that would have had the audience singing to their cars.
It’s a must for fans of the movie and musical theatre lovers.
Is it suitable for kids? Yes, if they can sit through 2.5 hours with interval. There were many families with kids there – probably best for 4 or 5 years and older (depending if they’ve been to musicals before) and also if they don’t get scared by the loud effects of the tornado and the wicked witch. The sets are colourful and would be totally appealing to kids, plus they’ll love seeing Toto the dog on the stage.
Wizard of Oz is in Adelaide until 29 April 2018. Find out more here.
For more information and all enquiries please visit the official Wizard of Oz The Musical website.
What: The Wizard of Oz The Musical
When: Sunday 1 – Sunday 29 April 2018
Where: Festival Theatre | King William St, Adelaide
Who: Suitable for ages 8+
At Play & Go Adelaide we make every effort to provide accurate information to the best of our knowledge at the time of publication. We recommend confirming times, dates and details directly before making any plans as details may be subject to change.
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