Review: The Wizard of Oz

Musical: The Wizard of Oz
Venue: The London Palladium, London, UK
Date: Wednesday 22nd June 2011 at 14:30
Cast: Danielle Hope (Dorothy), Michael Crawford (The Wizard/Professor Marvel/Doorman/Tour Guide), Emily Tierney (Glinda), Marianne Benedict (The Wicked Witch of the West/Miss Gulch u/s), Paul Keating (Scarecrow/Hunk), Edward Baker-Duly (Tinman/Hickory), David Ganly (Cowardly Lion/Zeke), Stephen Scott (Uncle Henry) and Helen Walsh (Auntie Em)
Rating: **1/2


Review:
I was in London this week for a little business at the Royal Thai Embassy and I had the afternoon to spare so I was looking for a matinee show to see as usual. One show that caught my attention was the new production of Andrew Lloyd Webber's The Wizard of Oz. Since the show wasn't on sale at TKTS yet, I decided to drop by the London Palladium to see how the seats were. I was preparing to spend 50+ pounds on the show when I arrived at the theatre to find that they have an offer for 25 pounds for front row seats with restricted view. But guess how lucky I was, the box office guy told me that since I was on my own, he could move me to a 55 pound seat for 25 pound!!! What a bargain! :)

The front of the London Palladium on Argyll Street

The back of the theatre from Carnaby Street side

Since it was a Wednesday afternoon, there was a lot of schoolchildren at the show. The London Palladium was a big and beautiful theatre both inside the theatre and in the foyer. I was glad that I got to see a show at this theatre since it has housed many of the West End's legendary shows such as Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat with Jason Donovan, Oliver! starring Jonathan Pryce, The King and I both original version with Yul Brynner and revival version starring Elaine Paige as well as The Sound of Music and Sister Act starring Connie Fisher and Patina Miller respectively. And last boxing day, the theatre had just celebrated its 100th year so it was great for me to have a chance to be inside this legendary theatre.

Schoolchildren lined up in front of the theatre ready to get in

Little girl in a Dorothy costume

The stage

However, the show wasn't all that magical for me. It was actually pretty boring and I was glad that I didn't spend a whole lot of money on it. Let's talk about the good part first. Danielle Hope was our Dorothy and I think that she was a very good Dorothy. Her voice has definitely improved and developed since her reality show days and I really like how she sang the role in a softer way rather than belting them out like I've heard before. "Over the Rainbow" was absolutely beautiful. However, there are times when I found her acting a bit unnatural.

Danielle Hope as Dorothy and Toto
on the Yellow Brick Road to see the Wizard

I was a bit sad to find that Hannah Waddingham wouldn't be the Wicked Witch of the West at the performance I attended. But her understudy, Marianne Benedict, did a really good job with the role both in acting and singing that I was totally satisfied with her. And despite their minimal stage time, the rest of the ensemble cast (including Glinda, Uncle Henry and Aunt Em) performed their role well, though it's really nothing outstanding.

Hannah Waddingham as the Wicked Witch of the West
as she interrupted the arrival of Dorothy in Munchkinland

A great solo number for Elphaba, I mean the Wicked Witch
"Red Blue Shoes" a decent song had it not repeated too much

Emily Tierney as Glinda the Good Witch of the North

But the real scene-stealer here is Dorothy's dog, Toto. From his (her?) first stage moment in the opening of act one up until the very last scene in the show and the curtain call, Toto was a true star of the show. He (assuming it was a he) was cute and so loveable and did all the acting exactly on cue (unlike the chihuahua I've seen at Legally Blonde). He barked, ran, jumped, growled and did everything that he was supposed to and you just couldn't take your eyes off him at all. However, the problem here was that since Toto was so cute, I felt that the audience was actually focusing on what Toto was doing rather than what the human characters were talking. Personally, I enjoyed watching Toto's tail wagging in the opening scene that I had absolutely no idea what Dorothy and Uncle Henry were talking about. I guess there's a reason why they leave the dog offstage during "Over the Rainbow" number. I was also glad to have caught 2 of the Totos at stage door.

The four alternate Totos

These were the two I've seen. I got their pictures at stagedoor!

What I also liked about the show was its stage effects. The projection used in the twister scene (though very similar to the one used in Love Never Dies) was very effective and the moving house looked believeable. Even though some projections were a bit cheesy. The production made good use of the turntable and I appreciate the things that the turntable could do. The sceneries were mostly beautiful and I liked how they played with the color from a sepia Kansas to a colorful Oz. I also loved how the witches flew!

Inside the Wizard of Oz's chamber

Then, we came to the bad part. I think the main problem of the show lies in its thin script. It's the Wizard of Oz and everybody knows about it and probably has seen it before. But that's no excuse to just throw whatever's in the movie onto the stage. The story works well in its 1939 movie form but I think when it's a 2011 stage musical, it needs quite a lot of adjusting to suit today's audience. I feel that the story was very thin and predictable. I know everyone knows what's gonna happen to all the characters but couldn't they just add a little excitement into the story? Everything was solved so very easily that it became boring to sit through from the poppy fields to what happens to the Wicked Witch of the West and from how the Wizard granted his wish to how Dorothy gets home. There were so many moments that could blow the audience away but they chose to just leave it bland... Shame on you!


I also looked forward to the music a lot since it was a recollaboration between Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice but again, it's a disappointment. The new songs that were added were not even serviceable to me. The opening song was bad. The Professor Marvel song was boring. The broomstick song was weird. The Wicked Witch song started off promisingly but then it became too repetitive that it became boring. Glinda song towards the end of the show ("Already Home") was a really beautiful song and it was performed well by the company but it didn't fit with the story at all. It was like, "OK, Glinda needed a song so we're gonna let her sing this one". Then, once the song was over, they were like "so where were we...". At least they could have had the song led to how Dorothy could get home but they chose not to. To me, I felt that Lloyd Webber had lost his magic, as can be seen from his last few shows, i.e. The Woman in White, Love Never Dies and now this!


On top of the new songs, the classic (old) songs by Arlen and Harburg could have been rearranged and updated to suit today's audience but I found myself yawning through the endless reprises of "We're off to see the wizard"... Yeah, I know, off you go then!


Then we had the legendary Michael Crawford. His acting wasn't that bad but it was just disappointing for a guy of his calibre to be doing something like this. While most actors played a dual role of a character in Kansas and a character in Oz, Crawford was doing 4 roles, as Professor Marvel in Kansas and as Doorman/Tour Guide/The Wizard in Oz. I know that the wizard was a very cameo role but to have him played all those unneccessary roles didn't work for me and Crawford couldn't differentiate himself among the 4 roles. What I saw was Crawford in 4 different costumes. He looked the same, he sounded the same and it might be better just to have a member of an ensemble covers those roles. His singing was also not up to his standard plus the bad songs didn't really help either. "Bring Me the Broomstick" was pretty much his best number but it was sung by a projection of him as the Wizard so I doubt that the performance was pre-recorded. Correct me if I'm wrong on that.

Michael Crawford as The Wizard of Oz

Michael Crawford as Professor Marvel
seen here with Doroty (Danielle Hope) and Toto
during "Wonders of the World" number

Towards the end of the show

The trio of Scarecrow, Tin Man and the Cowardly Lion were also a let-down. I think they performed the part well but the script was just poor. The jokes weren't funny at all and the actors couldn't seem to make the role any funnier. And the Lion costume was horrible. I felt really bad for the actor to have to wear that every night.

Paul Keating as the Scarecrow

Edward Baker-Duly as the Tin Man

David Ganly as the Cowardly Lion and oh! how I hate that costume!

I'm gonna stop my rant there. My overall suggestion is go see it if you're a hardcore fan of Lloyd Webber. It may also be a good show to bring kids to because there are so many things to catch their attention though I doubt that they will enjoy it throughout especially in a more (not-really-)dramatic moment of the show. I would also recommend you to see other shows first and if you really wanna see this one, wait for it to go on sale at TKTS because it's not really worth the full ticket price.


Endnote: Even though I'm not a big fan of Wicked, I'm gonna still recommend everyone to stick to Wicked if you want to see a show related to the land of Oz with a stronger book and better music. If only Elphaba could fly using a broomstick!


Seat Recommendation: If after all this and you still decide to go see it, I heard a lot of complaints about front row seats not being able to see Toto and the ruby slippers and some of the scenes in the back. I can't confirm that for you but since Toto is the main star, I'd say you wouldn't want to miss him. I was seated in O37 in the left stall and from where I was, the seat was perfectly fine, nothing on stage was obscured, though *SPOILER STARTS* there will be something flying offstage that I couldn't see the whole thing (but still able to see most of it)  *SPOILER ENDS* However, if you had sit 4-5 rows back, you might miss that whole bit which was not THAT important anyway.


"Over the Rainbow" by Danielle Hope as Dorothy

"Wonders of the World" performed by Michael Crawford as Professor Marvel

"We're off the See the Wizard" performed by Dorothy, Scarecrow, Tin Man and Lion

Montage from the Show ("Merry Old Land of Oz")

MUSICAL NUMBERS
ACT ONE
Overture... Orchestra
Nobody Understands Me*... Dorothy and Ensemble
Over the Rainbow... Dorothy
Wonders of the World*... Professor Marvel
The Twister*... Orchestra
Arrival in Munchkinland... Glinda, Dorothy and Munchkins
Munchkinland... Glinda, Dorothy and Munchkins
Ding-Dong! The Witch Is Dead... Glinda, Dorothy and Munchkins
Follow the Yellow Brick Road... Dorothy and Munchkins
If I Only Had a Brain... Scarecrow
We're off to See the Wizard... Dorothy and Scarecrow
If I Only Had a Heart... Tin Man
We're off to See the Wizard... Dorothy, Scarecrow and Tin Man
If I Only Had the Nerve... Lion
We're off to See the Wizard... Dorothy, Scarecrow, Tin Man and Lion
We're Out of the Woods... Dorothy, Scarecrow, Tin Man, Lion and Ensemble
The Merry Old Land of Oz... Company
Bring Me the Broomstick*... The Wizard


ACT TWO
Entr'Acte... Orchestra
We Went to See the Wizard... Dorothy, Scarecrow, Tin Man and Lion
March of the Winkies... Winkies
Red Shoes Blues*... The Wicked Witch of the West and Winkies
Over the Rainbow (Reprise)... Dorothy
If We Only Had a Plan... Scarecrow, Tin Man and Lion
The Rescue*... Scarecrow, Tin Man, Lion and Ensemble
Hail-Hail! The Witch Is Dead... Ensemble
You Went to See the Wizard... The Wizard
Farewell to Oz*... The Wizard
Already Home*... Glinda, Dorothy and Ensemble
Over the Rainbow (Reprise)... Dorothy
Finale... Company


*additional songs by Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice

All other original songs by Harold Arlen and EY Harburg

Review: The Sound of Music

Musical: The Sound of Music [UK Tour]
Venue: Grand Theatre, Leeds
Date: 7th June 2011 at 19:30
Cast: Verity Rushworth (Maria), Jason Donovan (Captain Von Trapp), Marilyn Hill Smith (Mother Abbess), Jacinta Malcahy (Baroness Schraeder), Michael Remick (Maxx Detweiler u/s), Chris Barton (Rolf), Claire Fishenden (Leisl), Thomas Huttlestone (Friedrich), Hollie Steel (Louisa), Jonathan Loades (Kurt), Isabella Riley (Brigitta), Aisling Flaherty (Marta) and Jasmine Hood (Gretl)
Rating: ****1/2


Review:
The Sound of Music is a definite classic in the musical theatre genre. Since its premiere on Broadway in 1959 to its critically acclaimed Oscar-winning movie version in 1965 starring Julie Andrews to the revival cast on Broadway in 1998 and on the West End in 2006. Today, it is still one of the best-loved musicals of all time. Since 2009, The Sound of Music has toured the UK and this month it made a stop at Leeds Grand Theatre. And what it did was simply proving that no matter how old the material is, it still managed to capture the hearts of audience no doubt.


My first experience with The Sound of Music was back in 1998 when the musical came to Thailand in its International Tour starring Marie Osmond and I remembered having a really good time. So I had my hopes up quite high for this production and though it's not without its flaws, it was still a really good and heartwarming production, one of the best ones I've seen at this theatre so far.


I was a bit bum not to see Connie Fisher reprising her role at this tour but Verity Rushworth was just amazing. Though there were quite some big shoes to fill (I'm talking about Mary Martin, Julie Andrews, Rebecca Luker and Connie Fisher to name a few), she made the role her own and was simply enjoyable to watch. She has a lovely, warm and playful personality which suited the role very well and her singing voice was absolutely beautiful.

Verity Rushworth as Maria during "My Favourite Things"

Praying to God on her first night at the Von Trapp Family's house

Philippa Buxton who is an alternate Maria on the tour
This is during "I Have Confidence"

Jason Donovan was our Captain Von Trapp and it's clear that many of the audience came to see him. I was quite excited to see him perform live since I've heard so much about him in Joseph and Priscilla. However, both his acting and his singing were a bit under my expectation. It seems he had a hard time holding the note in many of the songs (despite the fact that the role doesn't really require much vocal range) and his acting was, at times, stiff.

Jason Donovan as Captain Von Trapp

Donovan and Rushworth in their promotional photoshoot

Donovan as Joseph at the London Palladium 20 years ago!!

A real surprise came from Marilyn Hill Smith as the Mother Abbess and boy, that lady could SING! She totally stole the show with her My Favourite Things and Climb Ev'ry Mountain. Her acting was very good as well. She brought out another side of the Mother Abbess that I never thought of and she did it well.

Marilyn Hill Smith as the Mother Abbess
 (seen here with Sister Berthe, Sister Margaretta and Sister Sophia)
during "How Do You Solve a Problem Like Maria?"

But the real highlights of the show were definitely the 7 children. They were lovely and very talented for their age. Every number that they performed together were just cute and I'm sure it brought smile to the face of many audience in the house that night. The duet "Sixteen Going on Seventeen" between the eldest daughter, Liesl and the telegram messenger, Rolf played by Claire Fishenden and Any Dream Will Do finalist Chris Barton was cute and lovely.

"When you sing, you begin with Do-Re-Mi"

"High on the hill was a lonely goatherd, Lay ee odl lay ee odl lay hee hoo!"

"So long, farewell, auf wiedersehen good night"

"You are sixteen going on seventeen, baby it's time to think!"
Chris Barton and Claire Fishenden as Rolf and Liesl

Chris Barton

Christ Barton back in his Any Dream Will Do days

Despite being a touring production, I find that this production was quite satisfying in terms of sets and sceneries (unlike previous touring shows I've seen such as Joseph, Oklahoma! and Spamalot). I've never seen a sit-down production of it so I can't really compare but overall I think what they did here was not bad at all, though the mountains look a bit like a volcano and I wish there was a staircase in the Captain's house.

The music used here was according to the 2006 London Palladium version with some adjustments. They've included both songs written for the movie: "I Have Confidence" and "Something Good". Most of the arrangements were very good and I find that it's a good mix of the movie and the stage versions.


Being a 1960s Rodgers and Hammersteins musical, I find that the show's weakness actually lies in its book. But I guess it was that way with almost every musical of that era where the story was very simple and everything ended so easily with the main focus on the music and the dance numbers. So there were times when I felt "awww... that's too easy"... such as when the Baroness decided to leave or how the Von Trapp Family easily escaped the German at the end.


Nevertheless, it was a great production and my friends and I were having a really good time and so were all the audience in the house that night. It is one of the better productions I've seen at this theatre in a while so I'd say it's really worth the effort to be there. The show promises to put a smile on your face (and tears in the eyes of those sensitive ones) and I highly recommend this to anyone who enjoys a relaxing night out at the musicals.

The nuns who were very good and funny

At the Concert, Captain Von Trapp singing "Edelweiss"

The family escapes

The Finale

The Sound of Music will continue to play at Leeds Grand Theatre until 25 June before moving on to Nottingham, Norwich, Cardiff, Manchester, Newcastle and Wimbledon. Check out http://www.leedsgrandtheatre.com/ for more information on the tickets or http://www.thesoundofmusictour.com/ for more information about the tour.


MUSICAL NUMBERS
ACT ONE
Preludium... The Mother Abbess and Nuns
The Sound of Music... Maria
Maria... The Mother Abbess, Sister Berthe, Sister Sophia and Sister Margaretta
My Favourite Things... The Mother Abbess and Maria
I Have Confidence... Maria
Do-Re-Mi... Maria and the Children
Sixteen Going on Seventeen... Rolf and Liesl
The Lonely Goatherd... Maria and the Children
How Can Love Survive?... Maxx and Baroness
The Sound of Music (Reprise)... Captain Von Trapp and the Children
Landler... Orchestra
So Long, Farewell... The Children
Climb Ev'ry Mountain... The Mother Abbess


ACT TWO
Entr'acte... Orchestra
No Way to Stop It... Maxx, Baroness and Captain Von Trapp
Something Good... Captain Von Trapp and Maria
The Wedding Processional... Nuns
Sixteen Going on Seventeen (Reprise)... Maria and Liesl
Do-Re-Mi (Reprise)... Maria, Captain Von Trapp and the Children
Edelweiss... Captain Von Trapp, Maria and the Children
So Long, Farewell (Reprise)... Maria, Captain Von Trapp and the Children
Climb Ev'ry Mountain (Reprise)... The Mother Abbess and Nuns