Review: Wizard of Oz

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Above: Hamish Fletcher, Ursula Yovich & Jude Henshall.

Above right: Hamish Fletcher, Ursula Yovich, Luke Clayson, Ezra Juanta & Patrick Graham.

Images: Tony Lewis.

POSTED: 26 OCTOBER 2009

The Wizard of Oz, by L Frank Baum

(Windmill & Sydney Theatre Company | Sydney Theatre, Walsh Bay, Sydney | Until 1 November)

Hundreds of over-excited children in an enclosed space on a wet Sunday afternoon ... a recipe for potential disaster, or at least a migraine. Luckily, Sydney Theatre Company’s and Windmill’s production of The Wizard of Oz is so charming that apart from the rustle of chip packets and the occasional squeal of delight and/or delighted fear, both disaster and migraine were successfully averted.

Director Rosemary Myers’ modern take on Frank L Baum’s classic tale may cause some concern for Oz purists, but I found it to be respectful, not only of the essence of the story but, more importantly, respectful of its young audience by not “dumbing it down” or diluting the original’s scarier moments.

Dorothy (Ursula Yovich) may live in Kansas Caravan Park, and Aunty Em (Jude Henshall) might wear ugg boots and be a little, um, friendly with the local lads (or ‘uncles’, as Dorothy calls them), but there’s still Scarecrow, Tin Man and the Cowardly Lion, a yellow brick road, wicked and good witches, and no place like home.

The musical numbers retain the familiarity of the 1939 film version, but have been given a contemporary revamp that works extremely well. The actors’ voices are superb, most notably Yovich and Henshall — and it is quite amazing to consider that many of the actors are not only playing multiple roles but also grabbing instruments at various times!

Visually, this production is stunning. Innovative use of video and lighting effects create an Oz of vibrant colour and form. The scarier scenes are quite genuinely eerie, especially the Wizard effect.

The costuming is bright, funny and beautiful, from Toto’s forlorn floppy ears to the Wicked Witch’s flowing robes, the sartorial elegance of the Scarecrow and Aunty Em’s trailer trash chic.

The first Act in particular rocks along at a terrific pace. Yovich’s Dorothy is smart, brave and likeable — and thankfully refraining from becoming overly childlike, a temptation that adults in child roles often fall into. Geoff Revel, who doubles as the acerbic Miss Gultch (with the best opening line of the show, just for the adults) and the Wicked Witch, camps it up with gusto. Hamish Fletcher’s Toto may not have any lines other than “woof”, but he is hilarious to watch.

The second Act did fall off in energy to some degree, but this is a minor point. The journey Dorothy takes through Oz is in many ways more significant than the final destination.

Part of Windmill’s vision is to “enrich children and young people’s cultural life, learning and imagination through the creation and presentation of its performances”. From what I saw at this production, the adults were just as enriched as the target audience. The recommended age range is 8–108, after all!

So Boomers, grab the grandkids, click your heels three times, and get to The Wizard of Oz before it finishes its all-too-brief season.

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