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The Wonderful Wizard of Oz

Published Friday 27 November 2009 at 11:30 by Robin Duke

When you are a Munchkin one minute and Mawkin the Scarecrow the next it’s a fair bet you are not in L Frank Baum’s Kansas anymore.

Never afraid to challenge its young audiences with something a little more adventurous than standard festive fare, this Oliver Birch adaptation of the classic big screen success is a cleverly condensed interpretation aimed at taking as much attention as possible away from Judy Garland et al.

Alexander Maher’s Dorothy is crabby enough to be a Roald Dahl creation and hearing three Munchkins singing in the style of Four Poofs (minus a piano and one member) may fly above most young heads, but it’s amusing to their minders.

It’s a big ask for a cast of six to populate the whole of Oz and Emerald City, but some well executed scene changes and free green-tinted glasses certainly help as Christopher Doyle’s Scarecrow, Erica Guyatt’s Lion and John Biddle’s Lancastrian Tin Man earn their stripes from Ian Summers’ camp Wizard.

Toto’s Spit the Dog-style irreverence and a well-placed trap door for Celia Adams’ hiss and boo Wicked Witch of the West’s exit are good diversions for young minds who may miss some of the ladelled morality of what’s at the end of this Yellow Brick Road.

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