The Wizard of Oz Reviews

Sophia, London from London, England

BIT OF A LET DOWN - EXCEPT JASON

Went to see it with an open mind, it's not actually what I thought - Dorothy is a fab singer but I was surprised she was alot older, and tbh not particularly likeable ...I didn't really care if she got home she was annoying! Lovely voice great actor I'm sure. Fav by far was the star presence of Jason Manford as the lion. What a great job - you could feel the whole room cheer up when he came on The wicked witch plays it comedic, really wasn't for me I wanted her to be scary. Monkeys don't fly....come on....I found that a big let down. 2 just sit there at a laptop? Great dancers, great costumes....I liked Ashley banjo he was impressive, I liked the scarecrow - you care about them. I don't know - see what you think - it just wasn't for me and it's alot of money to come away thinking I it wasn't all that! People behind me coming out of the theatre raving about it though. * Just a note for small children, it's super loud.... there's bangs flashes and it makes you jump from the start.

Danielle Whitmore from Suffolk

NOT THE DOROTHY I RELATED TO, MECHANICAL DOG WAS A LET DOWN BUT THE LION MADE IT FOR ME

As an avid repeat childhood viewer I did just that….I grew up watching W.O.O over and over. It was a timeless fantasy film where as a small child, most girls I knew loved and wanted to be Dorothy and have a dog named Toto. My take on this play is they wanted to modernise it-making it politically correct and culturally neutral to a point where the film was lost for me. The mechanical dog was a let down-the puppeteer left me confused and distracted and what’s more- What happened to health and safety? Running about with a dog on a stick left me feeling sorry for him the whole play. Some of the singing was good and in parts fantastic and the lion was outstanding. He brought the familiarity back-would I recommend it? If you’ve not watched the film then yes…you get the story line and a fun panto like play but for those of us that wanted to be the original Dorothy? Sadly you’ll be disappointed and who would have named their dog after a dog on a stick?

Joan Morgan from London, England

FELT LIKE IT WAS DONE ON THE CHEAP, BUT GOOD PERFORMERS

way too many videos in lieu of theatrical special effects which was v disappointing. Felt like it was done on the cheap - assumed there would be flying monkeys but nothing. Costumes good. Jason Manford excellent. Literally about 10 munchkins - too tight to pay for more actors and costumes I guess. Below par, though not wholly unenjoyable. Save yourself £70 and see the movie

MUMof1 from London, England

“DEFINITELY NOT IN KANSAS NOW, TOTO!”

I’ve no idea which were the munchkins either. No-one was munchkin-esque and I didn’t hear any of the classic munchkins songs. The puppet version of Toto didn’t work, completely lacked the cuteness factor and the person operating it, leaping all over the stage to make the puppet come to life, was maddeningly distracting. The flying monkeys NOT flying, was disappointing and totally missed a trick. The background videos of a New York skyline (with strange rockets and space-ships) while Dorothy was supposed to be in Oz was definitely puzzling. Most characters were so poorly developed that it was difficult to care about them at all. I would put Dorothy, firmly in this category, along with the straw-man, tin-man and the aunt and uncle. A bit like biting into a cheese sandwich to find that it contains only a tiny shred of day-old lettuce… I can understand why traditionalists could be outraged by all this. HOWEVER, I personally, embrace change and I’m excited by unusual takes on traditional productions. Some of the quirky updates here were amusing, such as the good witch entering and exiting the stage on a bright pink Vespa instead of appearing in the classic puff of smoke. I also liked the tin-man doing a bit of body-popping. The singing by the cast who appeared in Wimbledon was generally strong, with Dorothy’s voice and that of the good witch surprisingly impressive. Overall, despite being confused even now about whether I saw a musical or a pantomime (in March!) and about whether we should have been quiet or shouting out “He’s BEHIND you” at the appropriate points, I actually enjoyed the show and admired the huge amounts of energy that the cast put in right till the very end. It’s just a shame that we spent most of the show constantly pining for the real stars - the endearingly sweet Lion and the seething evil witch - to come back on stage. They were both fantastic and, along, with the great music, carried the entire show.

Carole from Manchester, England

DISAPPOINTED

Worst show I’ve been to. ! terrible costumes and scenery and the musical arrangement was disappointing. I felt someone had tried to hard to update it. Felt very chaotic. I left during the interval as really didn’t enjoy it.

Kathy from Manchester, England

THE WIZARD OF OZ

Wicked Witch - Excellent STAR of the SHOW Scarecrow, Lion and Tin Man- very entertaining and carried the Show Munchins - waste of time / unbelievable Puppeteer and TOTO - very good although disappointed initially that it wasn't a real dog but appreciate why it couldn't be. Dorothy - could sing but not believable and lacking in Stage Presence. I actually wanted the Witch to Kill her. Glinda - Brilliant Scooter but 2nd Rate "Barbie Wanna Be" Performance. Overall Comments: Long Production / too long Special Effects- very noisy but some were good. Bright & Colourful Stage Sets. Slightly confusing as to whether it was a Musical Theatre Experience or an Expensive Pantomime Production?

Ersan kara from London, England

BIG DISAPPOINTMENT

Terrible show. Low profile and low budget. Just waste of time and money

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