Review: The Wizard of Oz at the Harlow Playhouse

A PACKED house was treated to a joyful presentation of The Wizard of Oz at the Harlow Playhouse on Friday night.

Since the theatre re-opened in September there has been an element of “happy to be back and happy to here” when people go to see a variety of shows.

The Wizard of Oz was no exception.AP

But the shows have continued, time and time again, to commit to producing top quality performances.

Wizard of Oz is a relatively easy show to do but it is hard to do well. Each character is so well defined which makes it a real challenge for each performer to make it their own.

Writing this review on Saturday morning, each actor really left their mark. Perhaps that is why they got a standing ovation at the end of the show.

We started off with Fanny Galore, who, in her inimitable style, started off with a stream of hilarious innuendo and puns. Again, as Fanny (or Glinda Galore) we tend to forget how good she is.

Another Playhouse favourite is Ben Parsley. Ben played the Scarecrow and really is the glue that keeps the whole show together. It own not just his witty asides but he fills the whole theatre with joy.

The highlight has to be the pheasants pluckers sketch, which was worth the ticket prices alone. Just don’t try it at home kids.

He was ably assisted by Terry Burns as the Tin Man and Tom Booth as the Lion. They are a great trio. They carve out their characters so well. You have to remember that there will be a lot of children that may not know the story so it is important the character’s wishes for “heart, courage and brains” (the plot) are still played out as they make their journey to Oz.

Which brings us to Dorothy. Again, it is a legendary role, but Lucy Bell has got the tone just right. It would be easy to fall into the trap to out Judy Garland but instead, Lucy’s Dorothy is a lovely, engaging girl from Kansas just trying to find her way home.

She sings beautifully and is a very special Dorothy.

We are also introduced to the Wicked Witch of the West played by Katherine Hickmott. She was or two fellow reviewers (Maddie and Charlie’s favourite). She got plenty of boos. Initially people were bing too polite to boo but they soon got into the spirit of things.

By the end of the first half, we had already got to the Emerald City but the second half really starts and continued at a furious space. The dance off was a great idea and executed with great panache. It really drew the audience in and in many ways was key to the success of the performance. The second half is just an exuberant celebration of all tings pantomime. The story is still there but there is so much more.

The finale, the happy ending and a touch of Footloose was a fitting ending to a wonderful evening.

This was a performance full of colour and energy. The audience left very happy and knew that they had really enjoyed a great couple of hours in a wonderful theatre seeing a wonderful show.

We cannot praise high enough a show brought to you by KD Productions. Daniel Bell and his team really get the blend right. They really manage to please everyone in the house. The auditorium had people of all ages engaged and enraptured.

For more details, go to:

https://playhouseharlow.ticketsolve.com/shows/873622494