Michael Cox reviews 'a mixed bag' of a production that is eager to please but lacks heart.
The Wizard of Oz lands in Scotland in hopes of blowing away the winter blues. It is enjoyable but, sadly, nowhere near as successful as one would hope or expect.
Based more on the beloved 1939 classic film than L. Frank Baum’s original book, this musical certainly seems desperate to please: the cast are energetic and likable, and the design is impressively high-tech with movable scenery, flashing lights and cinematic projections that sometimes make the production feel like an interactive video game.
While the producers might have a lot of courage to tour such a large production in these economically uncertain times, and director Nikolai Foster and choreographer Shay Barclay might have the brains to pull it off, this production sadly lacks the other core element from this famed story: heart.
Dorothy Gale and her quest through the mythical land of Oz to return home to Kansas is a lynchpin in pop culture. The characters and the story are too well known for any retelling to deviate much; it is to the production’s credit that they keep things familiar enough but still find ways to be original. The characters are instantly recognisable without being copies, and there are cheeky gags and Easter eggs throughout (particularly within the projections of Oz’s crowded skyline).
When this version opened in 2011, much fuss was made about musical theatre stalwarts Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice working together for the first time in decades. And indeed, this should have been a reason to celebrate. Alas, none of their material impresses or stays in the mind. In fact, the film’s original music and songs not only outshine the new material but have, on occasion, been reorchestrated here in ways that have dampened their original glory.
The cast are, for the most part, perfectly fine. There’s nothing wrong with the ensemble or principal players Aviva Tulley (Dorothy), Emily Bull (Glinda and Aunt Em), Gary Wilmot (Professor Marvel and The Wizard) or The Vivienne (the Wicked Witch of the West)—all are more than competent and play their roles with enough relish to please without any missteps, but none of them inspire or command the stage.
Benjamin Yates (as the Scarecrow) and Marley Fenton (the Tin Man) are much stronger; they make these iconic roles their own and bring glimmers of light to a crowded stage. However, the two best performances are found in Nic Greenshields’ terrific and hilarious Cowardly Lion and in Abigail Matthews, who has the difficult task of bringing Toto to life through brilliant uses of puppetry and movement. Greenshields and Matthews are both an utter joy, and with Yates and Fenton they make the production entertaining enough.
However, in the end this journey down the fabled Yellow Brick Road is a mixed bag. The musical Wicked is such a modern juggernaut, not only on stage but with its highly anticipated film adaptation, that its looming shadow makes this adventure into Oz a pale substitute. It’s fun, but where is the heart or, indeed, the ‘wonder’?
The Wizard of Oz is at the Edinburgh Playhouse until February 17, 2024. It continues its tour (with future stops in Scotland) and will have notable cast changes throughout. For further information, check the production’s website.
Photographer: Marc Brenner
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